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LIBRARY OF AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. 



I2MO, ILLUSTRATED, PER VOLUME, |^I.75 



I. Robert Fulton and Steam Navigation. By Thomas W. 
Knox, editor of " The Travels of Marco Polo," author of " Boj 
Travellers in the East," etc. 

" Its facts are so valuable, its illustrations so significant, and its educational 
influence so direct and powerful, that the book cannot fail to prove exceptionally 
popular and useful, while it is written in a bright and thoroughly readable style. 
—Congregationalist. 

II. Life of George Washington Studied Anew. By Edw^ard 
Everett Hale, author of " The Man without a Country," 
"Ten Times One is Ten," etc., etc. 

" Mr. Hale, with his characteristic intelligence, grace, and pood sens^ 
makes another excellent volume in an excellent series." — Independent. 

III. Life of Abraham Lincoln. By Noah Brooks. 

" Perhaps no biography of Abraham Lincoln shows more fully how his 
early training shaped and developed his character, and how his humble life fitted 
him for the special service that God had designed for him, than Mr. Noah Brooks'. 
It may unreservedly be commended as the one life of the subject that is just 
suited for young folks." — Boston Globe. 

IV. Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus. By Wash- 
ington Irving (condensed by the author from his larger work). 

This edition is printed from an entirely new set of plates, and 
contains a large number of interesting illustrations. 



G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS 

NEW YORK LONDON 

ay WEST TWENTY-THIRD STREET 24 BEDFORD STREET, STRAND 



/-s« 




Frontispiece. \Sc^ /"s^ -^^•» 

THE AUTHENTIC PORTRAIT OF CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. 



THE •, N 



LIFE AND VOYAGES 



OF 



Christopher Columbus 



BY 



/ 

WASHINGTON IRVINC^, 



(condensed by the author from his larger work) 



ILLUSTRATED 






G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS 



;->-y^ 



NKW YOKK I.ONIiON 

27 WRST TWKNTV-THIRD STI;HET ^4 BEHKDKI) STREET, STRAND 

(Tilt llnichrrbochcr press 



\ X'H.^'^r^. 



Copyright, 1893, 
By G. p. PUTNAM'S SONS. 






INTRODUCTION. 

Whether, in old times, beyond the reach of history 
or tradition, and at some remote period wlien, as some 
imagine, the arts may have flourished to a degree 
unknown to those whom we term the ancients, there 
existed an intercourse between the opposite shores of 
the Atlantic ; whether the Egyptian legend narrated by 
Plato, respecting the island of Atlantis, was indeed no 
fable, but the tradition of some country, engulfed by one 
of those mighty convulsions of our globe which have left 
the traces of the ocean on the summits of lofty moun- 
tains, must ever remain matters of vague and visionary 
speculation. As far as authenticated history extends, 
nothing was known of terra-firma, and the islands of the 
western hemisphere, until their discovery towards the 
close of the fifteenth century. A wandering bark may 
occasionally have lost sight of the landmarks of the old 
continents, and been driven by tempests across the wH- 
derness of waters, long before the invention of the com- 
pass, but none ever returned to reveal the secrets of the 
ocean ; and though, from time to time, some document 
has floated to the old world, giving to its wondering 
inhabitants indications of land far beyond their watery 
horizon, yet no one ventured to spread a sail, and seek 
that land, enveloped in mystery and peril. Or, if the 
legends of the Scandinavian voyagers be correct, and 
their mysterious Vinland were the coast of Labrador 



IV INTRODUCTION. 

or the shore of Newfoundland, they had but trancient 
gHmpses of the New World, leading to no permanent 
knowledge, and in a little time lost again to mankind. 
Certain it is, that at the beginning of the fifteenth century, 
when the most intelligent minds were seeking in every 
direction for the scattered lights of geographical knowl- 
edge, a profound ignorance prevailed among the learned 
as to the western regions of the Atlantic ; its vast waters 
were regarded with awe and wonder, seeming to bound 
the world as with a chaos, into which conjecture could 
not penetrate, and enterprise feared to adventure. We 
need no greater proof of this than the description given 
of the Atlantic by Xerif al Edrisi, surnamed the Nubian, 
an eminent Arabian writer, whose countrymen possessed 
all that was known of geography in the middle ages. 

" The ocean," he observes, " encircles the ultimate 
bounds of the inhabited earth, and all beyond it is 
unknown. No one has been able to verify anything 
concerning it, on account of its difficult and perilous 
navigation, its great obscurity, its profound depth, and 
frequent tempests ; through fear of its mighty fishes and 
its haughty winds ; yet there are many islands in it, some 
of which are peopled, and others uninhabited. There is 
no mariner who dares to enter into its deep waters; or, 
if any have done so, they have merely kept along its 
coasts, fearful of departing from them. The waves of 
this ocean, although they roll as high as mountains, yet 
maintain themselves without breaking; for if they broke, 
it would be impossible for a ship to plow them." 

It is the object of the following work to relate the 
deeds and fortunes of the mariner who first had the judg- 
ment to divine, and the intrepidity to brave, the mysteries 
of this perilous deep ; and who, by his hardy genius, his 
inflexible constancy, and his heroic courage, brought 



NOTE. V 

the ends of the earth into communication with each 
other. The narrative of his troubled life is the link 
which connects the history of the old world with that 
C)f the new. 



NOTE. 



Since the first publication of this work, researches 
made concerning the early voyages of the " Northmen" 
have established the fact, to the conviction of most 
minds, that " Vinland," the country accidentally discov- 
ered 1)\- those wide-wandering navigators, about the 
year looo, was really a part of the continent of North 
America. 

Tills fact, however, does not lessen the merit of the 
great enterprise and achievement of Columbus. Nothing 
grew out of this discovery of Vinland, nor does any idea 
appear to have been entertained of the extent or impor- 
tance of the region thus casually brought to light. Two 
or three voyages were made to it, between the years 
lOOO and I02I, after which it ceased to be an object of 
further quest, and apparcntl}' faded from thought as if it 
had never been. At the time when Columbus visited 
Thule, upwards of three centuries and a half had elapsed 
since the last voyage to Vinland of which we have any 
record; and two centuries and a half since the sagas 
which mention the country had been written. We see 
no reason to believe that he heard aiu'thing of these dis- 
coveries or saw the sagas in question. Mad he done so, 
he would doubtless have cited them among the various 
reports of lands seen by mariners in the west, with which 
he sought to fortify his theory and win patronage to his 



VI 



NOTE. 



enterprise during years of weary and almost hopeless 
solicitation. It is more than probable that at the time 
of his visiting Thule the tradition concerning Vinland 
had long been forgotten, and the sagas had been con- 
signed to the dust of libraries and archives, thence to be 
drawn forth by antiquarian research in after ages, when 
his own discoveries should have cast back a light to 
illuminate their obscurity. 




ARMS OF COLUMBUS. 



CONTENTS. 

PACE 

Introduction iii 

Note to this Edition v 

vj I. Birth, Parentage. Education, and Early Life of Columbus i 

IJ. Progress of Discovery under Prince Henry of Portugal. —Resi- 
dence of Columbus in Lisbon. — Ideas concerning Islands in 
the Ocean 7 

III. Grounds on wliich Columl)us founded his Belief of the Existence 

of Undiscovered Lands in llic West 13 

IV. Events in Portugal relative to Discovery. — Propositions of Co- 

lumbus to the Portuguese Court : 19 

V. First Arrival of Columbus in Spain. — Character of tlie Spanish 

Sovereigns 25 

VI. Propositions of Columbus to the Court of Castile 29 

VII. Columbus before the Council at Salamanca 33 

VIII. Columbus seeks Patronage amongst the Spanish Grandees. — Re- 
turns to the Convent of La Rabida. — Resumes his Negotia- 
tions witli tlie Sovereigns (1491) 4r 

IX. Arrangement with the Spanish Sovereigns. — Preparations for the 

Expedition at the Port of Palos (1492) 4S 

X. Events of the First Voyage. — Discovery ol Land (1492) 55 



VI 11 CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER PAGE 

XI. First Landing of Columbus in the New World. — Cruise 
among tlie Bahama Islands. — Discovery of Cuba and 

Hispaniola (1492) 71 

XII. Coasting of Hispaniola. — Shipwreck, and other Occur- 
rences at the Island (1492) 83 

XIII. Return Voyage. — Violent Storms. — Arrival in Portugal 

, (1493) \ ... 99 

XIV. Visit of Columbus to the Court of Portugal. — Arrival at 

Palos (1493) 107 

XV. Reception of Columbus by the Spanisli Sovereigns at Bar- 
celona (1493) 113 

XVI. Papal Bull of Partition. — Preparations for a Second Voy- 
age of Discovery (1493) 120 

XVII. Departure of Columbus on his Second Voyage of Dis- 
covery; — Arrival at Hispaniola (1493) 126 

XVIII. Fate of the Fortress of La Navidad. — Transactions at tlie 

Harbor (1493) 134 

XIX. Founding of the City of Isabella. — Discontents of the Peo- 
ple (1493) 141 

XX. Expedition of Columbus into the Interior of Hispaniola 

(1494) ■ 148 

XXI. Customs and Characteristics of the Natives 152 

XXII. Sickness and Discontent at the Settlement of Isabella. — 

Preparations of Columbus for a Voyage to Cuba (1494). . 161 
XXIII. Cruise of Columbus along the Southern Coast of Cuba 

(1494) 165 



CONTENTS. IX 

CHAPTER PAGE 

XXIV. Return Voyage (1494) 172 

XX\'. Events in the Island of Ilispaniola. — Insurrections of llie 

Natives. — Expedition of Ojeda against Caonaho (1494) 17S 

XX\'I. Battle of the Vega. — Imposition of Tribute (1494) 190 

XW'II. Arrival of the Cuinmissioner Aguado. — Discovery of the 

Gold Mines of Ilayna (1495) 19S 

XXVIII. Return of Columbus to Spain. — Preparations for a Tliird 

Voyage (1496) 205 

XXIX. Discovery of Trinidad, and the Coast of Paria. — Arrival at 

San Domingo (149S) 216 

XXX. Administration of the Adclantad) 224 

XXXI. Rebellion of Roldan (149S) 23S 

XXXII. Visit of Ojeda to the West End of tlie Island. — Conspiracy 

of Moxica. — His Execution U499) 250 

X.XXIII. Intrigues against Columbus in the Spanish Court. — Ap- 
pointment of IJobadilla as Commissioner. — His Arrival 

at San Domingo (1500) 256 

XXXIW Columbus arrested and sent to Spain in Chains (1500). . . . 262 
XXW. Arrival of Columbus in Spain. — His Interview with the 
Sovereigns. — Aiiiioinlment of Ovando to the C.overn- 

mcnt of Ilispaniola ( I 500) 26S 

XXXVI. Proposition of Columinis for a Crusade. — His Preparations 

for a Fourth Voyage (1500, 1501) 275 

XXXVII. Columi)us sails on His Fourtii \'oyage. — Events at the 
Island of Ilispaniola. — His Search after an Imaginary 
Strait ( 1 502) 279 



X CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER PAGE 

XXXVIII. Return to the Coast of Veragua. — Contests with the Na- 
tives (1502) 289 

XXXIX. Disasters of the Settlement (1503) 298 

XL. Voyage to Jamaica. — Transactions at that Island (1503). . . 305 
XLI. Mutiny of Porras. — Eclipse of the Moon. ^Stratagem of 

Columbus to procure Supplies from the Indians (1503)... . 311 
XLII. Arrival of Diego de Escobar at the Harbor. — Battle with 

the Rebels (1504) 318 

XLIII. Voyage of Diego Mendez to Hispaniola. — Deliverance of 

Columbus from the Island of Jamaica (1504) 323 

XLIV. Affairs at Hispaniola during the Administration of Ovan- 

do. — Return of Columbus to Spain (1504) 328 

XLV. Fruitless Application of Columbus to be reinstated in his 

Government. — His last Illness and Death (1504) 336 

' XLVI. Observations on the Character of Columbus 348 

A visit to Palos 355 

Appendix. — Obsequies of Columbus 376 

Glossary 379 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 

PAGE 

The y\uthentic Portrait of Christopher Columbus Frontispiece. 

Arms of Columbus vi 

Mediterranean Galley in the time of Columbus. Based on a design in 

Lane-Poole's " Barbary Corsairs." 3 

Part of a terrestrial globe made at Nuremberg in the year 1492, by 

Martin Behem 15 

Ferdinand, King of Spain. Redrawn from an old jirint 27 

Isabella, Queen of Spain. Redrawn from an old jirint 43 

The Convent of La Rabida. Redrawn from Manning's " Spanish 

Pictures." 51 

Ships of Columbus 53 

Columbus taking leave of F'erdinand and Isabella. From De Bry's 

' ' Voyages. " 54 

Palos. Redrawn from an old print 56 

Columbus discovering the variation of the compass. From De Lorgue's 

' ' Columbus. " 59 

Columbus on the deck of his ship, with ar^ astrolabe in his hand. 

From De Bry's ' ' Voyages. " 63 

A Caravel under sail. From Columbus's first letter 65 

The ship of Columbus, the "Ocean Wave." From Columbus's first 

letter 69 



XI 1 ILL US TRA TIONS. 

PAGE 

Native Huts, Hamacs, etc. Redrawn from Gottfriedt's " Newe Welt." 73 

Galley coasting the Island of Hispaniola 84 

Discovery of Hispaniola. From Herrera's " History of the West 

Indies." 86 

Natives carrying a Cacique. Redrawn from Herrera's " History of 

the West Indies." 88 

Natives dancing. Redrawn from Gottfriedt's " Newe Welt." 93 

A manner of fishing. Redrawn from Gottfriedt's " Newe Welt." 95 

Nearing land on return voyage. From an old print 103 

Reception of Columbus at Barcelona. Return from first voyage. 

From an old print 115 

Columbus and the egg. From De Dry's "Voyages." 118 

Cacique and Warriors. Fac-simile from Inga's " West Indische 

Spieghel.". 129 

The Island of Hi.spaniola. Redrawn from Wytfliet's '" West Indies.". 132 

Finding ruins of La Navidad. liased on old prints 135 

Arquebusier. From Dc Bry's " Voyages." 136 

The building of a cily, or Fort Isabella. From Columbus's first letter. 143 

A family group, Hispaniola. Redrawn from Montani's " America.".. 153 

Cacique and attendants. Redrawn from Montani's " America." 155 

Natives dancing. Redrawn after an old print from Gottfriedt's 

" Newe Welt." i59 

Canoe, Island of Jamaica 167 

Capturing an alligator. Reproduced fac-simile from Gottfriedt's 

" Newe Welt." 170 

Killing sea wolves. Redrawn from De Bry 174 



ILLUSTRATIONS. XllI 

I'AGE 

J Methods (if crossing a stream. Keilrawii from ( loltfricilt's " Ncwe 

Welt." 186 

- Attack on natives m trees. From llerrcra's '" History of the West 

Indies." 193 

■i lype of fort built liy early explorers. Redrawn from Montani's 

" Beschrying van America." 195 

•J Vessels in a storm. Reduced fac-simile from Gottfriedt's " Ncwe 

Welt." 203 

•^GoKl mining. Redrawn from I)e Bry 206 

■^ Mining scene. Redrawn from Gottfriedt's " Newc Welt." 211 

~> Doparturc of a Heel. 1- rom riiili|iono"s " Nova Typis." 217 

■^Natives of the coast of South America. Redrawn from ,S|)ix and Mar- 
tin's " Reise in Br isilien." 221 

^ The city of San Domingo. Redrawn from a print in Montani's 

" America," 167 1 225 

^ Natives bringing wood and water to a Caravel. Reilrawn from CJott- 

friedt's " Newe Welt." 229 

■^Attack on a village. Redrawn from Gottfriedt's " Newe Welt." 237 

^The Moro Columbus 249 

■^Bartholomew Columbus Redrawn from Ilerrera's " History of the 

West Indies.'' 265 

Natives of New Spain preparing food. Redrawn fiom Gottfriedt's 

"Newe Welt." 2S3 

" Natives moukling images. Redrawn from I )e l!ry 287 

•* A difficult landing-place. Redrawn from Gottfriedt's " Newe Welt.". 292 

"* A Cacique. Redrawn from Inga's " West Indische Spieghel." 295 

Death of Diego Tristan. From I),- Lorgue's ' Columbus." 301 



XIV , ILLUS'l'RATIONS. 

PAGE 

vj Natives supplying provisions to the .Spaniards. Redrawn from Gott- 

friedt's " Newe Welt." 317 

• Spanish Soldiers. Redrawn from De Bry 321, 322 

-1 Burial Ceremony. Adapted from Moritz Rugendas' " Reise in Brasil- 

ien." 334 

\ Tomb of Ferdinand and Isabella, Granada 33g 

.Amerigo Vespucci. Redrawn from "Vita e Lettere di Amerigo Ves- 
pucci. " 343 

. Monument to Columbus in Genoa 347 



THE AUTHENTIC PORTRAIT OF CHRISTOPHER 
COLUM BUS.— (&v frotttispiccc.) 

FROM A TAINTING IN THE POSSESSION OF WILLIAM HARRISON BKADLKY, 
OF CHICAGO, UNITED STATES CONSUL AT NICE. 



Touching the history of the painting from which the above portrait was taken, Mr. Bradley writes to 
the publishers as follows : 

" In De Bry's ' Grands Voyages," Part V., appears an engraving of Columbus of which De Bry says 
that it was engraved from a copy in his possession, of the portrait painted during the life of Columbus 
under the instructions of Ferdinand and Isabella. This original picture, afterwards stolen from the Casa 
de las Indias and taken to the Netherlands, was copied by an artist of De Bry's acquaintance, and from 
this copy the engraving appearing in the ' Voyages ' was made, towards the end of the sixteenth century. 
At this time as later, France was the great art collector of Europe, and the picture went where so much 
of artistic and historic value was being collected, for we find Inibert de Lonne, a man of letters and the 
trusted physician of the royal family, facing the terrors of Paris during the Revolution of 1789 to purchase, 
at a sale of royal effects, keepsakes of the family he had served. Among the articles purchased by him 
was this picture of Columbus, and the person from whom I purchased it had received the painting from 
the granddaughter ol De Lonne. " 



THE 

Life and Voyages of Columbus. 

CHAPTER I. 

KIRTII, PARENTAGE, EDUCATION, AND EARLY LIFE OF 

COLUMBUS. 

Christopher Columbus, or Colombo as the name 
is written in Italian, was a native of Genoa, born about 
the year 1435, of poor but reputable and meritorious 
parentage. He was the son of Domenico Colombo, a 
wool-comber, and Susanna Fontanarossa his wife ; and 
his ancestors seem to have followed the same trade for 
several generations in Genoa. Attempts have been made 
to prove him of illustrious descent, and several noble 
houses have laid claim to him since his name has become 
so renowned as to confer rather than receive distinction. 
It is possible some of them may be in the right, for 
the feuds in Italy in those ages had broken down and 
scattered many of the noblest families, and while some 
branches remained in the lordly heritage of castles and 
domains, others were confounded with the humblest 
population of the cities. The fact, however, is not mate- 
rial to his fame ; and it is a higher proof of merit to be 
the object of contention among various noble families, 
than to be able to substantiate the most illustrious 



2 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

lineage. His son Fernando had a true feeling on the 
subject. " I am of opinion," says he, " that I should 
derive less dignity from any nobility of ancestry, than 
from being the son of such a father." 

Columbus was the oldest of four children ; having two 
brothers, Bartholomew and Giacomo — or, as his name is 
translated into Spanish, Diego — and one sister, of whom 
nothing is known, excepting that she was married to a 
person in obscure life, called Giacomo Bavarello. 

While very young, Columbus was taught reading, writ- 
ing, grammar, and arithmetic, and made some proficiency 
in drawing. He soon evinced a strong passion for geo- 
graphical knowledge, and an irresistible inclination for 
the sea ; and in after-life, when he looked back upon his 
career with a solemn and superstitious feeling, he regarded 
this early determination of his mind as an impulse from 
the Deity, guiding him to the studies, and inspiring him 
with the inclinations proper to fit him for the high 
decrees he was destined to accomplish. His father, see- 
ing the bent of his mind, endeavored to give him an 
education suitable for maritime life. He sent him, there- 
fore, to the university of Pavia, where he was instructed 
in geometry, geography, astronomy, and navigation ; he 
acquired also a familiar knowledge of the Latin tongue, 
which at that time was the medium of instruction and 
the language of the schools. He remained but a short 
time at Pavia, barely sufficient to give him the rudiments 
of the necessary sciences; the thorough acquaintance 
with them which he displayed in after-life must have been 
the result of diligent self-schooling, and of casual hours 
of study amidst the cares and vicissitudes of a rugged 
and wandering life. 'He was one of those men of strong 
natural genius, who appear to form themselves ; who, 
from having to contend at their very outset with priva- 



E.VTERS INTO NAUTICAL LIFE. 3 

tions and inipcdiiiients, accjuirc an intrepidity in braving 
and a facility in vancjuishin^ difficulties. Such men Icarn 
to effect great jjurposes vvilh small means, supplying the 
deficiency of the latter by the resources of their own 
energy and invention. This is one of the remarkable 
features in the history of Columbus. In every undertak- 
ing, the scantiness and apparent insufficiency of his means 
enliance the grandeur of his achievements. / 




.,«^ .<i 



MF.DITKRRANKAN GAl,LKY IN THE TIMK OK COLCMBUS. 
Based on a design in La ne- Poole s "' Barbary Corsairs.'" 



Shortly after leaving the university he entered into 
nautical life, and, according to his own account, began to 
navigate at fourteen years of age. A complete obscurity 
rests upon this part of his history. It is supposed he 
made his first voyages with one Colombo, a hardy captain 
of the seas, who had risen to some distinction by his 
bravery, and who was a distant connection of his family. 
This veteran is occasionally mentioned in old chronicles; 
sometimes as commanding a squadron of his own, some- 



4 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

times as being an admiral in the Genoese service. He 
appears to have been bold and adventurous, ready to 
fight in any cause, and to seek quarrel wherever it might 
lawfully be found. 

The seafaring life in those days was peculiarly full of 
hazard and enterprise. Even a commercial expedition 
resembled a warlike cruise, and the maritime merchant 
had often to fight his way from port to port. Piracy was 
almost legalized. The frequent feuds between the Italian 
states; the cruisings of the Catalonians ; the armadas 
fitted out by noblemen, who were petty sovereigns in 
their own domains; the roving ships and squadrons of 
private adventurers ; and the holy wars waged with the 
Mohammedan powers, rendered the narrow seas, to which^ 
navigation was principally confined, scenes of the most 
hardy encounters and trying reverses. Such was the 
rugged school in which Columbus was reared, and such 
the rugged teacher that first broke him in to naval dis- 
cipline. 

The first voyage in which we hear any account of his 
being engaged was in a naval expedition fitted out at 
Genoa in 1459, by John of Anjou, Duke of Calabria, to 
make a descent upon Naples, in the hope of recovering 
that kingdom for his father, King Reinier or Renato, 
otherwise called Rene, Count de Provence. In this 
enterprise the republic of Genoa aided with ships and 
money, and many private adventurers fitted out ships and 
galleys and engaged under the banners of Anjou. Among 
the number was the hardy veteran Colombo, who had 
command of a squadron, and with him sailed his youthful 
relation. 

The struggle of John of Anjou for the crown of Naples 
lasted about four years, with varied fortune and much 
hard service. The naval part of the expedition distin- 



EARLY IlEROJSM. 5 

guishcd itself by various acts of intrepidity ; and vvlicn 
the unfortunate duke was at length reduced to take refuge 
in the island of Ischia, a handful of galleys loyally adhered 
to him, guarded the island, and scoured and controlled 
the whole bay of Naples. It is presumed that Columbus 
served on board of this squadron. That he must have 
distinguished himself in the course of the expedition is 
evident, from his having been at one time appointed to a 
separate command, and sent on a daring enterprise to 
cut out a galley from tiic port of Tunis, in the course of 
which he exhibited great resolution and address. 

There is an interval of several years during which we 
have but one or two shadowy traces of Columbus, who 
is supposed to have been principally engaged in the 
Mediterranean and up the Levant, sometimes in voyages 
of commerce, sometimes in warlike contests between the 
Italian states, sometimes in pious and predatory expedi- 
tions against the Infidels, during which time he was often 
under the perilous command of his old fighting relation, 
the veteran Colombo. 

The last anecdote we have of this obscure part of his 
life is given by his son Fernando. He says that his 
father sailed for some time with Colombo the younger, a 
famous corsair, nephew to the old admiral just mentioned, 
and apparently heir of his warlike propensities and prow- 
ess ; for Fernando affirms that he was so terrible for his 
deeds against the Infidels, that the Moorish mothers used 
to frighten their unrul}' children with his name. 

This bold rover waylaid four Venetian galleys, richly 
laden, on their return voyage from Flanders, and attacked 
them with his squadron on the Portuguese coast between 
Lisbon and Cape St. Vincent. The battle lasted from 
morning until evening, with great carnage on both sides. 
The vessels grappled each other, and the crews fought 



6 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

hand to hand, and from ship to ship. The vessel com- 
manded by Columbus was engaged with a huge Venetian 
galley. They threw hand grenades and other fiery mis- 
siles, and the galley was wrapped in flames. The vessels, 
being fastened together by chains and iron grapplings, 
could not be separated, and both became a mere blazing 
mass, involved in one conflagration. The crews threw 
themselves into the sea. Columbus seized an oar which 
was floating near him, and, being an expert swimmer, 
attained the shore, though full two leagues distant. It 
pleased God, adds his son Fernando, to give him strength, 
that he might preserve him for greater things. After 
recovering from his exhaustion he repaired to Lisbon, 
where he found many of his Genoese countrymen, and 
was induced to take up his residence. 

Such is the account given by Fernando of his father's 
first arrival in Portugal, and it has been currently adopted 
by modern historians; but on examining various his- 
tories of the times, the battle here described appears to 
have happened several years after the date of the arrival 
of Columbus in that country. That he was engaged in 
the contest is not improbable ; but he had previously 
resided for some time in Portugal. In fact, on referring 
to the history of that kingdom, we shall find, in the great 
maritime enterprises in which it was at that time engaged, 
ample attractions for a person of his inclinations and pur- 
suits ; and we shall be led to conclude, that his first visit 
to Lisbon was not the fortuitous result of a desperate 
adventure, but was undertaken in a spirit of liberal curi- 
osity, and in the pursuit of honorable fortune. 



PRINCE HENRY OF PORTUGAL. 



CHAPTER II. 

PROGRESS OF DISCOVERY UNDER PRINCE HENRV OF 
PORTUGAL. — RESIDENCE OF COLUMHUS IN LISBON. 
— IDEAS CONCERNING 1S[,ANDS IN THE OCEAN. 

The career of modern discovery had commenced shortly 
before the time of Columbus, and, at the period of which 
we are treating, was prosecuted witli great activity by 
Portugal. The rediscovery of the Canary Islands in the 
fourteenth century, and the occasional voyages made to 
them and to the opposite shores of Africa, had first 
turned the attention of mankind in that direction. The 
grand impulse to discovery, however, was given by Prince 
Henry of Portugal, son of John the First, surnamed tlie 
Avenger, and Philippa of Lancaster, sister of Henry the 
P"ourth of England. Having accompanied his father into 
Africa, in an expedition against the Moors, he received 
much information at Ceuta concerning the coast of 
Guinea, and other regions entirely unknown to Euro- 
peans ; and conceived an idea that important discoveries 
were to be made by navigating along the western coast 
of Africa. On returning to Portugal, he pursued the vein 
of inquiry thus accidentally opened. Abandoning the 
court, he retired to a country retreat in the Algarves, 
near to Sagres, in the neighborhood of Cape St. Vincent, 
and in full view of the ocean. Here he drew round him 
men eminent in science, and gave himself up to those 
branches of study connected with the maritime arts. He 
made himself master of all the geographical knowledge 
of the ancients, and of the astronomical science of the 
Arabians of Spain. The result of his studies was a firm 



8 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

conviction that Africa was circumnavigable, and that it 
was possible, by keeping along its shores, to arrive at 
India. 

For a long time past, the opulent trade of Asia had 
been monopolized by the Italians, who had their com- 
mercial establishments at Constantinople and in the 
Black Sea. Thither all the precious commodities of the 
East were conveyed by a circuitous and expensive inter- 
nal route, to be thence distributed over Europe. The 
republics of Venice and Genoa had risen to power and 
opulence in consequence of this monopoly; their mer- 
chants emulated the magnificence of princes, and held 
Europe, in a manner, tributary to their commerce. It 
was the grand idea of Prince Henry, by circumnavigat- 
ing Africa, to open an easier and less expensive route to 
the source of this commerce, to turn it suddenly into a 
new and simple channel, and to pour it out in a golden 
tide upon his country. He was before the age in thought, 
and had to struggle hard against the ignorance and pre- 
judices of mankind in the prosecution of his design. 
Navigation was yet in its infancy. Mariners feared to 
venture far from the coast, or out of sight of its land- 
marks, and they looked with awe at the vast and un- 
known expanse of the Atlantic. They cherished the old 
belief that the earth at the equator was girdled by a 
torrid zone, separating the hemispheres by a region of 
impassive heat ; and they had a superstitious belief, that 
whoever doubled Cape Bojador would never return. 

Prince Henry called in the aid of science to dispel 
these errors. He established a naval college and observa- 
tory at Sagres, and invited thither the most eminent 
professors of the nautical faculties. The effects of this 
establishment were soon apparent. A vast improvement 
took place in maps and charts ; the compass was brought 



ARRIVAL AT LISBON. 9 

into more general use ; the Portuguese marine became 
signalized for its hardy enterprises ; Cape Bojador was 
doubled ; the region of the tropics penetrated and divested 
of its fancied terrors; the greater part of the African 
coast, from Cape Blanco to Cape de Verde, explored ; 
and the Cape de Verde and Azore Islands discovered. 
To secure the full enjoyment of these territories, Henry 
obtained a papal bull, investing the Crown of Portugal 
with sovereign authority over all the lands it might dis- 
cover in the Atlantic, to India inclusive. Henry died on 
the 13th of November, 1473, before he had accomplished 
the great object of his ambition ; but he had lived long 
enough to behold, through his means, his native coun* 
tr\- in a grand career of prosperity. He has been well 
described as " full of thoughts of lofty enterprise, and 
acts of generous spirit." He bore for his device the 
magnanimous motto, " the talent to do good," the only 
talent worthy the ambition of princes. 

The fame of the Portuguese discoveries drew the 
attention of the world ; and the learned, the curious, 
and the adventurous resorted to Lisbon to engage in 
the enterprises continually fitting out. Among the rest, 
Columbus arrived there about the year 1470. He was 
at that time in the full vigor of manhood, and of an 
engaging presence; and here it may not be improper to 
draw his portrait, according to the minute descriptions 
given of him b)* his contemporaries. He was tall, well- 
formed, and muscular, and of an elevated and dignified 
demeanor. His visage was long, and neither full nor 
meagre ; his complexion, fair and freckled, and inclined 
to ruddy ; his nose, aquiline ; his cheek-bones were rather 
high ; his eyes, light gray, and apt to enkindle ; his whole 
countenance had an air of authorit>'. His hair, in his 
youthful days, was of a light color; but care antl trouble 



10 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

soon turned it gray, and at thirty years of age it was quite 
white. He was moderate and simple in diet and apparel, 
eloquent in discourse, engaging and affable with strangers, 
and of an amiableness and suavity in domestic life that 
strongly attached his household to his person. His 
temper was naturally irritable ; but he subdued it by the 
magnanimity of his spirit, comporting himself with a 
courteous and gentle gravity, and never indulging in any 
intemperance of language. Throughout his life he was 
noted for a strict attention to the offices of religion ; nor 
did his piety consist in mere forms, but partook of that 
lofty and solemn enthusiasm with which his whole char- 
acter was strongly tinctured. 

While at Lisbon he was accustomed to attend religious 
service at the chapel of the Convent of All Saints. Here 
he became acquainted with a lady of rank, named Dona 
Felipa, who resided in the convent. She was the daugh- 
ter of Bartolomeo Monis de Palestrello, an Italian cava- 
lier, lately deceased, who had been one of the most 
distinguished navigators under Prince Henry, and had 
colonized and governed the island of Porto Santo. The 
acquaintance soon ripened into attachment and ended in 
marriage. It appears to have been a match of mere 
affection, as the lady had little or no fortune. 

The newly married couple resided with the mother of 
the bride. The latter, perceiving the interest which her 
son-in-law took in nautical affairs, used to relate to him 
all she knew of the voyages and expeditions of her late 
husband, and delivered to him all his charts, journals, and 
Other manuscripts. By these means Columbus became 
acquainted with the routes of the Portuguese, and their 
plans and ideas ; and, having by his marriage and residence 
become naturalized in Portugal, he sailed occasionally in 
the expeditions to the coast of Guinea. When at home 



DREAMS OF DISCOVERY. II 

he supported his family by making maps and charts ; and, 
though his means were scanty, he appropriated a part to 
the education of his younger brothers, and the succor of 
his aged father at Genoa. From Lisbon he removed for 
a time to the recently discovered island of Porto Santo, 
where his wife had inherited some property, and during 
his residence there she bore him a son, whom he named 
Diego. His wife's sister was married to Pedro Correo, 
a navigator of note, who had at one time been governor 
of Porto Santo. In the familiar intercourse of domestic 
life, their conversation frequently turned upon the discov- 
eries of the Atlantic islands, and the African coasts, upon 
the long-sought-for route to India, and upon the possi- 
bility of unknown lands existing in the West. It was a 
period of general excitement with all who were connect- 
ed with maritime life, or who resided in the vicinity of 
the ocean. The recent discoveries had inflamed their 
imaginations, and had filled them \vith ideas of other isl- 
ands of greater wealth and beauty yet to be discovered in 
the boundless wastes of the Atlantic. The opinions and 
fancies of the ancients were again put into circulation ; 
the island of Antilla, and Plato's imaginary Atlantis, once 
more found firm believers; and a thousand rumors were 
spread of unknown islands casually seen in the ocean. 
Many of these were mere fables; many of them had their 
origin in the self-deception of voyagers, whose heated 
fancies beheld islands in those summer clouds which lie 
along the horizon and often beguile the sailor with the 
idea of distant land. The most singular instance of this 
kind of self-deception, or rather of optical delusion, is 
that recorded of the inhabitants of the Canaries. They 
imagined that from time to time they beheld a vast island 
to the westward, with lofty mountains and deep valleys. 
Nor was it seen in cloudy or dubious weather, but with 



12 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

all the distinctness with which distant objects may be 
discerned in the transparent atmosphere of a tropical 
climate. It is true, it was only seen transiently, and at 
long intervals ; while at other times, and in the clearest 
weather, not a vestige of it was visible ; but so persuaded 
were the people of the Canaries of its reality, that they ob- 
tained permission from the king of Portugal to fit out vari- 
ous expeditions in search of it. The island, however, was 
never to be found, though it still continued occasionally 
to cheat the eye ; many identified it with a legendary 
island, said to have been discovered in the sixth century 
by a Scottish priest of the name of St. Brandan, and it 
was actually laid down in many maps of the times, by the 
name of St. Brandan, or St. Borondon. 

All these tales and rumors were noted down with 
curious care by Columbus, and may have had some in- 
fluence over his imagination ; but, though of a visionary 
spirit, his penetrating genius sought in deeper sources for 
the aliment of its meditations. The voyages he had 
made to Guinea, and his frequent occupation in making 
maps and charts, had led him more and more to specu- 
late on the great object of geographical enterprise; but 
while others were slowly and painfully seeking a route to 
India, by following up the coast of Africa, his daring gen- 
ius conceived the bold idea of turning his prow directly 
to the west, and seeking the desired land by a route 
across the Atlantic. Having once conceived this idea, 
it is interesting to notice from what a mass of acknowl- 
edged facts, rational hypotheses, fanciful narrations, and 
popular rumors, his grand project of discovery was wrought 
out by the strong workings of his vigorous mind. 



BELIEF IN UNDISCOVERED LANDS. 13 



CHAPTER 111. 

GROUNDS ON W 1 1 H 1 1 COLUMIJUS FOUNDED HIS BELIEF 
OF THE EXISTENCE OF UNDISCOVERED LANDS IN 
THE WEST. 

W'k liave a record of the determination of Columbus 
to seek a western route to India, as early as the year 
1474, i'.i a correspondence which he held with Paulo 
Toscanelli, a learned cosmographer of Florence ; and he 
had doubtless metiitated it for a long time previous. 
He was moved to this determination by a diligent study 
of all the geographical theories of the ancients, aided by 
his own experience, by the discoveries of the moderns, 
and the advancement of astronomical science. He set 
it down as a fundamental principle, that the earth was a 
te rraqueous globe, which might be travelled round from 
east to west, and that men stood foot to foot when on 
opposite points, Tlie circumference from east to west, at 
the equator, he divided, according to Ptoleni)', into twenty- 
four hours, of fifteen degrees each, making three hun- 
dred and sixty degrees. Of these he imagined, compar- 
ing the globe of Ptolemy with the earlier map of Marinus 
of T)'rc, that fifteen hours had been known to the an- 
cients, extending from the Canary or Fortunate Islands, 
to the citN' of Thina; in Asia, the western and eastern 
extremities of the known world. The Portuguese had 
advanced tiie western frontier one hour more by the dis- 
covery of the Azore and Cape de Verde Islands; still 
about eight hours, or one-third of the circumference of 
the earth, remained to be explored. This space he im- 
agined to be occupied in a great measure by the eastern 



14 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

regions of Asia, which might extend so far as to approach 
the western shores of Europe and Africa, A navigator, 
therefore, by pursuing a direct course from east to west, 
must arrive at the extremity of Asia, or discover any 
intervening land. The great obstacle to be apprehended 
was from the tract, of ocean that might intervene; but 
this could not be very wide, if the opinion of Alfraganus 
the Arabian were admitted, who, by diminishing the size 
of the degrees, gave to the earth a smaller circumference 
than was assigned to it by other cosmographers ; a the- 
ory to which Columbus seems, generally, to have given 
much faith. He was fortified, also, by the opinion of 
Aristotle, Seneca, Pliny, and Strabo, who considered the 
ocean as but of moderate breadth, so that one might pass 
from Cadiz westward to the Indies in a few days. 

Columbus derived great support to his theory, also, 
from a letter which he received in 1474 from Paulo Tosca- 
nelli, the learned Florentine already mentioned, who was 
considered one of the ablest cosmographers of the day. 
This letter was made up from the narrative of Marco 
Polo, a Venetian traveller, who, in the fourteenth cen- 
tury, had penetrated the remote parts of Asia, far beyond 
the regions laid down by Ptolemy. Toscanelli encour- 
aged Columbus in an intention which he had communi- 
cated to him, of seeking India by a western course, assur- 
ing him that the distance could not be more than four 
thousand miles in a direct line from Lisbon to the 
province of Mangi, near Cathay, since ascertained to be 
the northern coast of China. Of this country a magnifi- 
cent description was given, according to Marco Polo, who 
extols the power and grandeur of its sovereign, the Great 
Khan, the splendor and magnitude of his capitals of Cam- 
balu and Ouinsai, or Kiiisay, and the wonders of the 
island of Cipango, or Zipangi, supposed to be Japan. 



PART OF A TERRESTRIAL GLOBE MADE AT NUREM- 
BERG L\ THE YEAR I492, BY ^L\KTI^' BEIIEM. 



REFERENCES. 

A.- Cipanf^a. Has its own 
kings and language. 
People idolaters. The 
richest island of the 
East in gold and spices. 

B. In the year 565 St. 
Prandan came in his 
ship to »his island. 

C— Pcrgi Cathay, King- 
dom of Thohat. 

D. - King of Mangi. 

E.- Kingdom of India, or 
Concha. India of Ptol- 
emy. 

F.— I n d i a — pars Indiac 
e.\tra Gang em. Ci- 
amba. 

G. -The mountains of 
Thebet. 

H.- Port of Ciamba. 

I.-Occanus Indix Supcri- 
oris. 

J. — An island on which arc 
gold and spices. 

K.- Here are caught white 
falcons. 




^. 



Arttit l'ol» 



^.-P"' 

Vv 






^ 




^'■""X^-^ 
<'%%'' 



S^ stto 270 2&a .eeo 300 310 s^o 3i>n 3^0 3:)0 ;;8i 
.^ --w^^, f.C? 






il 




This segment of Bcliein's Icrrustiial f^lolie was made at Nuremberg in 
the year 1.192, the very year in wliicli Columbus departed on liis first voyage 
of discovery. Martin Beiiem, the inventor, was one of the most learned 
cosmographcrs of the time, and having resided at Lisbon in tlu- employ of 
the king of Portugal, he had jirobably seen the map of Toscanelli. ami the 
documents submitted by Columbus to the consideration of the Portuguese 
government. Mis globe may, therefore, be presumed illustrative of the 
idea entertained by Columbus of the islands in the ocean near the extrem- 
ity of Asia, at the time he undertook his discovery. 



1 6 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

This island he places opposite Cathay, far in the ocean, 
and represents it as abounding in gold, precious stones, 
and spices, and that the palace of the king was covered 
with plates of gold, as edifices in other countries are cov- 
ered with sheets of lead. 

The work of Marco Polo is deserving of this particular 
mention, from being a key to many of the ideas and 
speculations of Columbus. The territories of the Grand 
Khan, as described by the Venetian, were the objects of 
his diligent search in all his voyages; and in his cruis- 
ings among the Antilles he was continually flattering 
himself with the hopes of arriving at the opulent island 
of Cipango, and the shores of Mangi and Catha}'. The 
letter of Paulo Toscanelli was accompanied by a map, 
projected partly according to Ptolemy, and partly accord- 
ing to the descriptions of Marco Polo. The eastern coast 
of Asia was depicted in front of the coasts of Africa and 
Europe, with a moderate space of ocean between them, 
in which were placed, at convenient distances, Cipango, 
Antilla, and the other islands. By this conjectural map 
Columbus governed himself in his first voyage. 

Besides these learned authorities, Columbus was atten- 
tive to every gleam of information bearing upon his the- 
ory that might be derived from veteran mariners, and 
the inhabitants of the lately discovered islands, who were 
placed, in a manner, on the frontier posts of geographical 
knowledge. One Antonio Leone, an inhabitant of Ma- 
deira, told him that in sailing westward one hundred 
leagues he had seen three islands at a distance. A mari- 
ner of Port St. Mary, also, asserted that in the course of 
a voyage to Ireland he had seen land to the west, which 
the ship's company took for some extreme part of Tar- 
tary. One Martin Vicenti, a pilot in the service of the 
king of Portugal, assured Columbus that, after sailing 



THEORIES DEVELOPING. 1 7 

four hundred and fift)- leagues to the west of Cape St. 
Vincent, he liad taken from the water a piece of carved 
wood, evidently not hibored with an iron instrument. 
As tile wind had drifted it from the west, it might have 
come from some unknown land in that direction. 

Pedro Correo, brother-in-law of Columbus, also informed 
him that he had seen a similar piece of wootl on the 
island of Porto Santo, which had drifUcl from the same 
quarter, and he had heard from the king of Portugal that 
reeds of an immense size had floated to those islands from 
the west, which Columbus supposed to be the kind of 
reeds of enormous magnitude described by Ptolemy as 
growing in India. Trunks of huge pine-trees, of a kind 
that did not grow upon any of the islands, had been 
wafted to the Azores by westerly winds. Tlie inhabit- 
ants also informed him that the bodies of two dead men 
had been cast upon the island of Flores, whose features 
had caused great wonder and speculation, being different 
from those of any known race of people. 

Such are the principal grounds on ^\'hich, according to^ 
Fernando Columbus, his father proceeded from one posi- 
tion to another of his theory. It is evident, however, 
that the grand argument which induced him to his enter- 
prise was the one first cited ; namely, that the most 
eastern part of Asia known to the ancients could not be 
separated from the Azores by more than a third of the 
circumference of the globe ; that the intervening space 
must, in a great measure, be filled up by the unknown 
residue of Asia ; and that, as the circumference of the 
world was less than was generall}' supposed, the Asiatic 
shores could easily be attained by a moderate voyage to 
the west. It is singular how much the success of this 
great enterprise depended upon two happy errors, the 
imaginar)' extent of Asia to the east, and the supposed 



1 8 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

smallness of the earth; both errors of the most learned 
and profound philosophers, but without which Columbus 
would hardly have ventured into the western regions of 
the Atlantic, in whose unknown and perhaps immeasur- 
able waste of waters he might perish before he could 
reach a shore. 

When Columbus had once formed his theory, it became 
fixed in his mind with singular firmness. He never spoke 
in doubt or hesitation, but with as much certainty as if 
his eyes had beheld the Promised Land. A deep relig- 
ious sentiment mingled with his thoughts, and gave them 
at times a tinge of superstition, but of a sublime and lofty 
kind. He looked upon himself as standing in the hand 
of heaven, chosen from among men for the accomplish- 
ment of its high purpose ; he read, as he supposed, his 
contemplated discovery foretold in Holy Writ, and shad- 
owed forth darkly in the prophecies. The ends of the 
earth were to be brought together, and all nations and 
tongues and languages united under the banners of the 
Redeemer. 

The enthusiastic nature of his conceptions gave an 
elevation to his spirit, and a dignity and loftiness to his 
whole demeanor. He conferred with sovereigns almost 
with a feeling of equality. His proposed discovery was 
of empires; his conditions were proportionally magnifi- 
cent, nor would he ever, even after long delays, repeated 
disappointments, and when under the pressure of actual 
penury, abate what appeared to others extravagant 
demands. Those who could not conceive how an ardent 
and comprehensive mind could arrive by presumptive 
evidence at so firm a conviction, sought for other modes 
of accounting for it ; and gave countenance to an idle tale 
of his having received previous information of the western 
world from a tempest-tost pilot who had died in his house, 



J'OYAGE 70 T//ULE. IQ 

bccjucathiiiL;" him written accounts of an unknown land 
in the west, upon which lie had been driven by adverse 
winds. This, and other attempts to cast a shade upon 
his fame, liavc been diligently examined and refuted ; 
and it ai)pears evick'nt that his j^reat enterprise was the 
bold conception of his genius, quickened by the impulse 
of the age, and aided by those scattered gleams of knowl- 
edge which fall ineffectually upon ordinary minds. 



CHAPTER IV. 

EVENTS IN PORTUGAL RliLATIVI-: r() DISCOVERY. — PROP- 
OSITKJNS OF COLUMBUS TO THE PORTUGUESE 
COURT. 

While the design of attempting the discovery in the 
west was maturing in the mind of Columbus, he made a 
voyage to the northern seas, to the island of Thule, to 
which the English navigators, particularly those of l^ris- 
tol, were accustometl to resort on account of its fishery. 
He even advanced, he says, one hundred leagues beyond, 
penetrated the polar circle, anil convinced himself of the 
fallacy of the popular belief that the frozen zone was 
uninhabitable. The islanil thus mentioned by him as 
Thule is generally supposed to have been Iceland, which 
is far to the west of the Ultima Thule of the ancients, as 
laid down on the map of Ptolemy. Nothing more is 
known of this voyage, in which we discern indications 
of that ardent and impatient desire to break awa\' from 
the limits of the old world, and launch into the unknown 
regions of the ocean. 

Several years elapseil williout any decided efTort on 



20 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

the part of Columbus to carry his design into execution. 
An enterprise of the kind required the patronage of some 
sovereign power, which could furnish the 'necessary 
means, could assume dominion over the lands to be dis- 
covered, and could insure suitable rewards and dignities 
to the discoverer. 

The cause of discovery had languished during the lat- 
ter part of the reign of Alphonso of Portugal, who was 
too much engrossed with his wars with Spain to engage 
in peaceful enterprises of great cost and doubtful result. 
Navigation, also, was still too imperfect for so perilous an 
undertaking as that proposed by Columbus. Discovery 
advanced slowly along the coasts of Africa, and though 
the compass had been introduced into more general use, 
yet mariners rarely ventured far out of sight of land ; 
they even feared to cruise far into the southern hemi- 
sphere, with the stars of which they were totally un- 
acquainted. To such men, therefore, the project of 
a voyage directly westward, in quest of some imagined 
land in the boundless wastes of the ocean, appeared as 
extravagant as it would at the present day to launch 
forth in a balloon into the regions of space, in quest of 
some distant star. 

The time, however, was at hand that was to extend 
the power of navigation. The era was propitious to the 
quick advancement of knowledge. The recent invention 
of printing enabled men to communicate rapidly and 
extensively their ideas and discoveries. It multiplied 
and spread abroad, and placed in every hand, those 
volumes of information which had hitherto existed only 
in costly manuscripts, treasured up in the libraries of 
colleges and convents. At this juncture John the Second 
ascended the throne of Portugal. He had imbibed the 
passion for discovery from his grand-uncle, Prince Henry, 



IMPORTANT USE OF THE ASTROLABE. 21 

and with his reign all its activit}' revived. The recent 
attempts to tliscover a route to India had excited an 
eager curiosity concerning the remote parts of the East, 
and had revived all the accounts, true and fabulous, of 
travellers. Among these were the talcs told of the re- 
nowned Prester John, a Christian king, said to hold sway 
in a remote part of the East, but whose kingdom seemed 
to baffle researcli as effectually as the unsubstantial island 
of St. Brandan. All the fables and dreamy speculations 
concerning this shadowy potentate, and his oriental realm, 
were again put in circulation. It was fancied that traces 
of his empire had been discerned in the interior of Africa, 
to the east of Benin, where there was a powerful prince, 
who used a cross among the insignia of royalty; and 
John the Second, in the early part of his reign, actually 
sent missions in quest of the visionary Prester John. 

Impatient of the tardiness with which his discoveries 
advanced along the coast of Africa, and eager to realize 
the splendid project of Prince Henry, and conduct the 
Portuguese flag into the Indian seas, John the Second 
called upon his men of science to devise some means of 
giving greater scope and certainty to navigation. His 
two physicians, Roderigo and Joseph, the latter a Jew, 
who were the most able astronomers and cosmographers 
of his kingdom, together with the celebrated Martin 
Bchem. entered into a consultation on the subject ; and 
the result of their conferences was the application of the 
astrolabe to navigation. This instrument has since been 
improved and modified into the modern quadrant, of 
which, even at its first introduction, it possessed all the 
essential advantages. This invention was one of those 
timely occurrences which seem to have something provi- 
dential in them. It was the one thing wanting to facilitate 
an intercourse across tlie deep, and to cast navigation 



22 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

loose from its long bondage to the land. Science had 
thus prepared guides for discovery across tlie trackless 
ocean, and had divested the enterprise of Columbus of 
that extremely hazardous character which had been so 
great an obstacle to its accomplishment. It was immedi- 
ately after this event that he solicited an audience of the 
king of Portugal, to lay before him his great project of 
discovery. This is the first proposition of which we 
have any clear and indisputable record, although it has 
been strongly asserted, and with probability, that he had 
made one, at an earlier period, to his native country, 
Genoa. 

Columbus obtained a ready audience of King John, 
who was extremely liberal in encouraging and rewarding 
nautical enterprise. He explained to the monarch his 
theory, and proposed, in case the king would furnish him 
with ships and men, to conduct them by a shorter route 
to the richest countries of the East, to touch at the opu- 
lent island of Cipango, and to establish a communication 
with the territories of the Grand Khan, the most solen- 

i. 

did, powerful, and wealthy of oriental potentates. 

King John listened attentively to the proposition of 
Columbus, and referred it to a learned junto composed of 
Masters Roderigo and Joseph and the king's confessor, 
Diego Ortiz, bishop of Ceuta, a man greatly reputed for 
his learning, a Castilian by birth, and generally called 
Cazadilla, from the name of his birthplace. This scien- 
tific body treated the project as extravagant and vision- 
ary. Still the king was not satisfied, but convoked his 
council, composed of persons of the greatest learning in 
the kingdom, and asked their advice. In this assembly 
Cazadilla, the bishop of Ceuta, opposed the theory of 
Columbus as destitute of reason, and, indeed, evinced a 
cold and narrow spirit hostile to all discovery. The 



DETERMIiVES UPON LEAVING PORTUGAL. 23 

decision of the council was equally unfavorable with that 
of the junto, and the proposition of Columbus was re- 
jected. 

Certain of the counsellors, and particularly the bishop 
Cazadilla, seeing that the Icing was dissatisfied with their 
decision and retained a lurking inclination for the enter- 
prise, suggested a stratagem by which all its advantages 
might be secured without committing the dignitx' of the 
crown by entering into formal negotiations about a 
scheme which might prove a mere chimera. The king, 
in an evil hour, departed from his usual justice and gen- 
erosity, and had the weakness to permit their stratagem. 
These crafty counsellors then procured from Columbus, 
as if to assist them in their deliberations, a detailed plan 
of liis proposed voyage, with the charts by which he in- 
tended to shape his course. While they held him in sus- 
pense awaiting their decision, they privately dispatched 
a caravel to jjursuc the designated route. 

The caravel took its departure from the Cape de 
Verde Islands and stood westwaiil for several days. The 
weather grew storm}% and tlie pilots, having no zeal to 
stimulate them, and seeing nothing but an immeasurable 
waste of wild, tumbling waves still extending before 
them, lost all courage ami put back to the Cape de 
Verde Islands and thence to Lisbon, excusing their own 
want of resolution by ridiculing the project as extrava- 
gant and irrational. 

This unworthy attempt to defraud him of his enter- 
prise roused the indignation of Columbus, ami though 
King John, it is said, showed a disposition to renew the 
negotiation, he resolutely declined. His wife had been 
for some time dead ; the domestic tie which had bound 
him to Portugal, therefore, being broken, he determined 
to abandon a coiintr)- where he had been treated with 



24 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

SO little faith. Like most projectors, while engaged in 
schemes which held out promise of incalculable wealth, 
he had suffered his affairs to run to ruin, and was in dan- 
ger of being arrested for debt. This has been given as 
the reason for his leaving Portugal in a secret manner, 
which he did towards the end of 1484, taking with him 
his son Diego, as yet a mere child. 

An interval now occurs of about a year, during which 
the movements of Columbus are involved in uncertainty. 
It has been asserted by a modern Spanish historian of 
merit, that he departed immediately for Genoa, where 
he repeated in person the proposition which he had for- 
merly made to the government by letter. The republic 
of Genoa, however, was languishing under a long decline 
and was embarrassed by ruinous wars. Her spirit was 
broken with her fortunes; for with nations, as with indi- 
viduals, enterprise is the child of prosperity, and is apt 
to languish in evil days, when there is most need of its 
exertion. Thus Genoa, it would appear, disheartened 
by reverses, rejected a proposition which would have 
elevated the republic to tenfold splendor, and might for a 
longtime have perpetuated the golden wand of commerce 
in the failing grasp of Italy. 

From Genoa, it has been said, but equally without 
positive proof, that Columbus carried his proposal to 
Venice, but that it was declined in consequence of the 
critical state of national affairs. Different authors agree 
that about this time he visited his aged father, and made 
such arrangements for his comfort as his own poor means 
afforded ; and that, having thus performed the duties of a 
pious son, he departed once more to try his fortunes in 
foreign courts. About this time, also, he engaged his 
brother Bartholomew to sail for England, to lay his prop- 
ositions before Henry the Seventh, whom he had heard 



FIRST VISIT TO SPAIN. 2$ 

extolled for liis wisdom and nuinificcnce. For himself, he 
sailed for Spain, where he appears to have arrived in great 
poverty, for this course of fruitless solicitation had ex- 
hausted all his means ; nor is it one of the least extraor- 
dinary circumstances in his eventful life, that he had, in 
a manner, to beg his way from court to court, to ofTer to 
princes the discovery of a world. 



CHAPTER V. 

FIRST ARRIVAL OF COLUMI'.US IN SPAIN. — CHARACTER 
OF THE SPANISH SOVEREIGNS. 

The first trace we have of Columbus in Spain is 
gathered from the manuscript documents of the celebrated 
lawsuit which took place a few years after his death, 
between his son, Don Diego, and the crown. It is con- 
tained in the deposition of one Garcia Fernandez, a 
physician, resident in the little seaport of Palos de 
Moguer, in Andalusia. About half a league from Palos, 
on a solitary height overlooking the sea-coast, and sur- 
rounded by a forest of pine-trees, there stood, and stands 
at the present day, an ancient convent of Franciscan 
friars, dedicated to Santa Maria de Rabida. A stranger 
travelling on foot, accompanied by a young bo\-, stopped 
one day at the gate of the convent, and asked of the 
porter a little bread and water for his child. Wliilc 
receiving this humble refreshment the guardian of the 
convent, Friar Juan Perez de Marchena, happening to 
pass by, was struck with the api)earance of the stranger, 
and, observing from his air and accent that he was a 
foreigner, entered into conversation with him. That 



26 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

stranger was Columbus, accompanied by his young son 
Diego. He was on his way to the neighboring town of 
Huelva, to seek a brother-in-law, who had married a sister 
of his deceased wife. 

The guardian was an intelligent man, and acquainted 
with geographical and nautical science. He was interest- 
ed by the conversation of Columbus, and struck with the 
grandeurof his plans. He detained him as his guest, and 
being diffident of his own judgment, sent for a scientific 
friend to converse with him. That friend was Garcia 
Fernandez, the physician of Palos, the same who fur- 
nishes this interesting testimony, and who became equally 
convinced with the friar of the correctness of the theory 
of Columbus. Several veteran pilots and mariners of 
Palos, also, were consulted during the conferences at the 
convent, who stated various facts observed in the course 
of their experience, which seemed to corroborate the idea 
of western lands in the Atlantic. But the conviction of 
the friar was still more confirmed by the hearty concur- 
rence of an important personage in that maritime neigh- 
borhood, one Martin Alonzo Pinzon, resident of the town 
of Palos, one of the most intelligent sea-captains of the 
day, and the head of a family of wealthy and distinguished 
navigators. Pinzon not only gave the project of Colum- 
bus his decided approbation, but offered to engage in it 
with purse and person. 

Fray Juan Perez, being now fully persuaded of the 
importance of the proposed enterprise, adyised Columbus 
to repair to court, and make his propositions to the 
Spanish sovereigns, offering to give him a letter of recom- 
mendation to his friend, Fernando de Talavera, prior of 
the convent of Prado, and confessor to the queen, and a 
man of great political influence, through whose means he 
would, no doubt, immediately obtain royal audience and 



GENEROSITY 01- PINZON. 



27 



favor. Martin Alonzo Pinzon, also, generously offered 
to furnisii him with money for the journey, and the friar 
took charge of his youthful son, Diego, to maintain and 
educate him in the convent. Thus aided and encouraged, 
and elated with fresh hopes, Columbus took leave of the 







FERDINAND, KING OF SPAIN. 
Redrawn /roiii ait olif />rint. 

little junto at La Rabida, and set out. in the sprjng of 
i486, for the Castilian court, which had just assembled 
at Cordova, where the sovereigns were fully occupied 
with their chivalrous enterprise for the conquest of Gra- 
nada. And here it is proper to give a brief description of 



28 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

these princes, who performed such an important part in 
the events of this history. 

It has been well observed of Ferdinand and Isabella 
that they lived together, not like man and wife, whose 
estates are in common, under the orders of the husband, 
but like two monarchs, strictly allied. They had sepa- 
rate claims to sovereignty, in virtue of their separate 
kingdoms, and held separate councils. Yet they were so 
happily united by common views, common interests, and 
a great deference for each other, that this double admin- 
istration never prevented a unity of purpose and action. 
All acts of sovereignty were executed in both their names ; 
all public writings subscribed with both their signatures ; 
their likenesses were stamped together on the public 
coin, and the royal seal displayed the united arms of 
Castile and Arragon. 

Ferdinand possessed a clear and comprehensive genius, 
and great penetration. He was equable in temper, inde- 
fatigable in business, a great observer of men, and is 
extolled by Spanish writers as unparalleled in the science 
of the cabinet. It has been maintained by writers of 
other nations, however, and apparently with reason, that 
he was bigoted in religion, and craving rather than mag- 
nanimous in his ambition ; that he made war less like a 
paladin than a prince, less for glory than for mere domin- 
ion, and that his policy was cold, selfish, and artful. He 
was called the wise and prudent, in Spain ; in Italy, the 
pious ; in France and England, the ambitious and per- 
fidious. 

Contemporary writers have been enthusiastic in their 
descriptions of Isabella, but time has sanctioned their 
eulogies. She was of the middle size, and well formed ; 
with a fair complexion, auburn hair, and clear blue eyes. 
There was a mingled gravity and sweetness in her coun- 



CHARACTER OF ISABELLA. 2g 

tcnancc, ami a singular modesty, gracing, as it did, great 
firmness of purpose and earnestness of spirit.. Though 
strongly attached to lier husband, and studious of his 
fame, yet she always maintained iier distinct rights as an 
allied prince. She exceeded him in beauty, personal 
dignity, acuteness of genius, and grandeur of soul. Com- 
bining the active and resolute qualities of man with the 
softer charities of woman, she mingled in the warlike 
councils of her husband, and, being insjjired with a truer 
idea of gl<.)ry, infused a more lofty and generous temper 
into his subtle and calculating policy. 

It is in the civil history of their reign, however, that 
the character of Isabella shines most illustrious. Her 
fostering and maternal care was continually directed to 
reform the laws, and heal the ills engendered by a long 
course of civil wars. She assembled round her the ablest 
men in literature and science, and directed herself by 
their counsels in encouraging literature and the arts. 
She promoted the distribution of honors and rewards for 
the promulgation of knowledge, fostered the recently 
invented art of printing, and through her patronage Sala- 
manca rose to that eminence which it assumed among 
the learned institutions of the age. Such was the noble 
woman who was destined to acquire immortal renown by 
her spirited patronage of the discovery of the new world. 



CHAPTER VI. 

PROPOSITIONS OF COLUMBUS TO THE COURT OF CASTILE. 

\\'lli:.\ Columbus arrived at Cordova he fouiui it in all 
the bustle of military preparation. The two rival Moor- 



30 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

ish kings of Granada had formed a coalition, and the 
Castilian sovereigns had summoned all their chivalry to 
assemble for a grand campaign. Every day witnessed 
the arrival of some Spanish noble, with a splendid retinue 
and a brilliant array of household troops. The court was 
like a military camp ; every avenue was crowded by war- 
like grandees and hardy cavaliers, who had distinguished 
themselves in this Moorish war. This was an unpro- 
pitious moment for an application like that of Columbus. 
Everybody was engrossed by the opening campaign. 
Even Fernando de Talavera, who was to have been his 
great patron and protector, and his organ of communica- 
tion with the sovereigns, was completely taken up with 
military concerns, being one of the clerical advisers who 
surrounded the queen in this, as it was termed, holy war. 
The letter of recommendation from the worthy Fray 
Juan Perez, which was to have secured the powerful 
influence of Talavera, seems to have had but little effect 
upon the prior, who listened coldly to Columbus, and 
looked upon his plan as extravagant and impossible. 

So far, therefore, from receiving immediate patronage 
from the sovereigns,- Columbus found it impossible to 
obtain even a iiearing. It is a question even, whether, 
for some time, his application reached their ears. If 
Fernando de Talavera did mention it to them, it must 
have been in disparaging terms, such as rather to destroy 
than excite interest in its favor. The campaign opened 
almost immediately ; the king took the field in person ; 
the queen was fully occupied by the hurrying concerns 
of the war, and was part of the time present in the camp; 
it would have been in vain, therefore, at such a moment, 
to expect attention to a scheme of foreign discovery, 
founded on principles which required calm and learned 
investigation. 



GAINING PROSELYTES. 31 

Durinij^ the summer and autumn of i486 Columbus 
remained at Cordova, waiting for a more favorable oppor- 
tunity to urge his suit, and trusting to time and assiduity 
to gain him converts among the intelHgent and powerful. 
He was in iiuligent circumstances, and earned a scanty 
supi)ort by making maps and charts. He had to contend 
also against the ridicule of the light and the supercilious, 
which is one of the tjreatest obstacles to modest merit in 
a court. Some scofTed at him as a mere dreamer, others 
stigmatized him as an adventurer; the very children, it 
is said, pointed to their foreheads as he passed, being 
taught to consider him a kind of madman. Indeed, the 
slender interest on which he had founded his hopes of royal 
patronage, and the humble garb in which his poverty 
obliged him to appear, formed a preposterous contrast, 
ill the eyes of the courtiers, with the magnificence of his 
speculations. " Because he was a foreigner," saysOviedo, 
"and went but in simple apparel, nor otherwise credited 
than by the letter of a gray friar, they believed him not, 
neither gave ear to his words, whereby he was greatly 
tormented in his imagination." 

While thus lingering in Cordova; he became attached 
to Dofia I^eatri.x Enriquez, a lady of that city, of a noble 
family. Like most of the circumstances of this \rAX\. of 
his life, his connection with this lady is wrappetl in ob- 
scurity, but appears never to have been sanctioned by 
marriage. She was the mother of his second son l"\r- 
nando, who became iiis historian, and whom he always 
treated on terms of perfect equality with his legitimate 
son Dietjo, 

By degrees, the theoi}' of C<^lumbus began to obtain 
proselytes. The attention of men of reflection was drawn 
to this solitary individual, who, almost unsupported, was 
endeavoring to make his wa\% w ith so singular a j^roposi- 



32 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

tion, to the foot of the throne. Whoever conversed with 
him was struck by the dignity of his manners, the earnest 
sincerity of his discourse, and the force of his reasoning". 
Alonzo de Ouintanilla, comptroller of the finances of 
Castile, became a warm advocate of his theory, and re- 
ceived him as a guest into his house. He was counte- 
nanced also by Antonio Geraldini, the pope's nuncio, 
and his brother, Alexander Geraldini, preceptor to the 
younger children of Ferdinand and Isabella. By these 
friends he was introduced to the celebrated Pedro Gon- 
zalez de Mendoza, archbishop of Toledo, and grand cardi- 
nal of Spain. This was the most important personage 
about the court ; he was always with the king and queen, 
who never took any measure of consequence without con- 
sulting him, and was facetiously called the third king 
of Spain. He was an elegant scholar, a man of sound 
understanding, and of great quickness and capacity in 
business. The clear-hicaded cardinal was pleased with 
the noble and earnest manner of Columbus ; he listened 
to him with profound attention, felt the importance 
of his project and the force of his arguments, and be- 
came at once a firm and serviceable friend. Through 
his intercession the royal audience was at length ob- 
tained. 

Columbus appeared in the presence of the king with 
modesty, yet self-possession, inspired by a consciousness 
of the dignity and importance of his errand ; for he felt 
himself, as he afterwards declared in his letters, animated 
as if by a sacred fire from above, and considered himself 
an instrument in the hand of heaven to accomplish its 
grand designs. Ferdinand was too keen a judge of men 
not to appreciate the character of Columbus. He per- 
ceived, also, that his scheme had scientific and practical 
foundations ; and his ambition was excited by the possi- 



rilE COUXCIL AT SALAMANCA. 33 

bility of discoveiics far cxcccdiiit; in importance those 
which had shed such ij;Iory upon Portugal. Still, as 
usuals he was cool and war)-. lie ordered Fernando de 
Talavcra, the prior of I'rado, to assemble the most learned 
astronomers and cosmographers of the kingdom, U^ hold 
a conference with Columbus. They were to examine him 
upon the grounds of his theory, and afterwards to con- 
sult together, and report their opinion as to its merits. 
Columbus now considered the day of success at hand ; he 
hail been deceived by courtiers, and scoffed at as a vis- 
ionary l)y the vulgar and the ignorant ; but he was now 
to appear before a body of the most learned and enlight- 
ened men, elevated, as he supposed, above all narrow 
prejudice and selfish interest, and capable of comprehend- 
ing the full scope of his reasonings. From the dispas- 
sionate examination of such a body of sages he could 
not but anticipate the most triumphant verdict. 



CHAPTER VII. 

COLUMBUS REFORE THE COUNCIL AT .SALAMANXA. 

The interesting conference took place at Salamanca, 
the great seat of learning in Spain. It was held in the 
Dominican convent of St. Stephen, the most scientific 
college in the university, in which Columbus was lodged 
and entertained with great hos|Ditality duiing the course 
ot the examination. The board of conference was com- 
posed of professors of the university, together with vari- 
ous dignitaries of the church, and learned friars. No 
tribunal could bear a front of more imposing wisdom ; 
yet Columbus soon discovered that ii^norance and illib- 
J 



34 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

erality may sometimes lurk under the very robes of 
science. 

The greater part of this learned junto, it would appear, 
came prepossessed against him, as men in place and dig- 
nity are apt to be against poor applicants. There is al- 
ways a proneness to consider a man under examination 
as a kind of delinquent or impostor upon trial, who is to 
be detected and exposed. Columbus, too, appeared in a 
most unfavorable light before a scholastic body ; an ob- 
scure navigator, member of no learned institution, desti- 
tute of all the trappings and circumstances which some- 
times give oracular authority to dullness, and depending 
upon the mere force of natural genius. Some of the 
\ assembly entertained the popular notion that he was an 
adventurer, or at best a visionary; and others had that 
morbid impatience of any innovation upon established 
doctrine which is apt to grow upon dull and pedantic 
men in cloistered life. The hall of the old convent pre- 
sented a striking spectacle. A simple mariner standing 
forth in the midst of an imposing array of clerical and 
collegiate sages, maintaining his theory with natural elo- 
quence, and, as it were, pleading the cause of the new 
world. We are told that when he began to state the 
grounds of liis theory, the friars of St. Stephen alone 
paid attention to him. The others appeared to have in- 
trenched themselves behind one dogged position, namely, 
that, after so many profound philosophers had occupied 
themselves in geographical investigations, and so many 
able navigators had been voyaging about the world for 
ages, it was a great presumption in an ordinary man to 
suppose that there remained such a vast discovery for him 
to make. 

Several of the objections opposed by this learned body 
have been handed down to us, and have provoked many 



OBJECTIOXS OF THE COUNCIL. 35 

a sneer at the expense of the university of Salamanca ; 
but they are jjroofs rather of tlie imperfect state of sci- 
ence at tlie time, and of the manner in which knowledge, 
though rapidly advancing, was still impeded in its i)rog- 
rcss by monastic bigotr\-. Thus, at the very threshold 
of the discussion, Columbus was assailed with citations 
from the Bible and the works of the early fathers of the 
church, which were thought incompatible with his theory; 
doctrinal points were mixed up with philosophical dis- 
cussions, and even a mathematical demonstration was 
allowed no truth if it appeared to clash with a text of 
Scripture or a commentary of one of the fathers. Thus 
the possibilit}' of the existence of antipodes in the south- 
ern hemisphere, though maintained by the wisest of the 
ancients, was disputed by some of the sages of Salamanca 
on the authority of Lactantius and St. Augustine, those 
two great luminaries of what has been called the golden 
age of ecclesiastical learning. " Is there an}' one so fool- 
ish," asks Lactantius, " as to believe that there are an- 
tipodes with their feet opposite to ours ; people who 
walk with their heijs upward and their heads hanging 
down? That there is a part of the world in which all 
things are topsy-tur\')' ; where the trees grow with their 
branches downward, and wliere it rains, hails, and sntnvs 
upwards? The idea of the roundness of the earth," he 
adds, " was the cause of inventing this fable ; for these 
philosophers, having once erred, go on in their absurdi- 
ties, defending one with another." 

Objections of a graver nature and more dignified tone 
were advanced on the authority of St. Augustine. He 
pronounces the doctrine of antipodes incompatible with 
the historical foundations of our faith ; since, to assert 
that there were inhabited lands on the opposite side of 
the globe would be to maintain that there were nations 



3^ THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

not descended from Adam, it being impossible for them 
to have passed the intervening ocean. This would be, 
therefore, to discredit the Bible, which expressly de- 
clares that all men are descended from one common 
parent. 

Such were the unlooked-for prejudices which Colum- 
bus had to encounter at the very outset of his confer- 
ence, and which certainly savor more of the convent than 
the university. To his simplest proposition, the spherical 
form of the earth, were opposed figurative texts of Script- 
ure. In the Psalms, the heavens are said to be extended 
over the earth like a hide, that is to say, like the covering 
of a tent, which, among the ancient pastoral nations, was 
formed of the hides of animals. St. Paul, also, in his 
epistle to the Hebrews, compares the heavens to a taber- 
nacle or tent spread over the earth ; hence these casuists 
maintained that the earth must be flat, like the bottom 
of the tent. Others admitted the globular form of the 
earth, and the possibility of an opposite and inhabitable 
hemisphere, but maintained that it would be impossible 
to arrive there, in consequence of the heat of the torrid 
zone. As for steering to the west in search of India, they 
observed that the circumference of the earth must be so 
great as to require at least three years to the voyage, and 
those who should undertake it must perish of hunger and 
thirst, from the impossibility of carrying provisions for so 
long a period. Not the least absurd objection advanced 
was, that should a ship even succeed in reaching the ex- 
tremity of India, she could never get back again, for the 
rotundity of the globe would present a kind of moun- 
tain, up which it would be impossible for her to sail with 
the most favorable wind. 

Such are specimens of the errors and prejudices, the 
mingled error and erudition, with which Columbus had 



UNDAUNTED BY THE COUNCIL. 3/ 

to contend, throughout the examination of his theory. 
Many of these objections, however, which appear so glar- 
ingly absurd at the present da)', were incident to the im- 
perfect state of knowledge at the time. The rotundity 
of the earth was as }'et a matter of mere speculation ; no 
one could tell whether the ocean were not of too vast 
extent to be traversed ; nor were the laws of specific 
gravity, and of central gravitation, ascertained, by which, 
granting the earth to be a sphere, the possibility of mak- 
ing the tour of it would be manifest. 

When Columbus took, his stand before this learned 
body, he had appeared the plain and simple navigator, 
somewhat daunted, perhaps, by the greatness of his task 
and the august nature of his auditoi)- ; but he had a degree 
of religious feeling which gave him a confidence in the 
execution of what he conceived his great errand, and he 
was of an ardent temperament, that became heated in 
action 1)\- its own generous fires. All the objections 
drawn from ancient philosophers he met boldly and 
upon equal terms, for he was deeply studied on all points 
of cosmography, and he disproved many by his own ex- 
perience, gathered in the course of his extensive voyages, 
in which he had penetrated both the torrid and the frozen 
zone. Nor was he to be daunted by the scriptural diffi- 
culties opposed to him, fur here he was jieculiarly at 
home. His contemporaries have spoken of his command- 
ing |)erson, his elevated demeanor, his air of authority, 
his kindling eye, and the persuasive intonations of his 
voice. How must they have given majesty and force to 
his words, as, casting aside his maps ami charts, and dis- 
carding, for a time, his practical and scientific lore, his 
visionary spirit took fire, and he met his doctrinal oppo- 
nents upon their own grountl, pouringforth those magnifi- 
cent texts of Scripture and those mysterious predictions 



38 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

of the prophets which, in his enthusiastic moments, he 
considered as types and annunciations of the subhme 
discovery which he proposed! 

It is but justice to add, that many of his learned hearers 
were convinced by his reasoning and warmed by his elo- 
quence ; among the number of these was Diego de Deza, 
a worthy friar of the order of St. Dominic, at that time 
professor of theology in the convent of St. Stephen, but 
who became afterwards archbishop of Seville, the second 
ecclesiastical dignity of Spain. He was an able and eru- 
dite man, above the narrow bigotry of bookish lore, and 
could appreciate the value of wisdom, even when uttered 
by unlearned lips, f^e seconded Columbus with all his 
powers and influence, and by their united efforts they 
broucrht over several of the most intelligent men of the 
assembly. Still there was a preponderating mass of inert 
bigotry and learned pride in the erudite body, which re- 
fused to yield to the demonstrations of an obscure for- 
eigner, without fortune or connections, or any academic 
honors. After this celebrated examination of Colum- 
bus the board held occasional conferences, but without 
coming to any decision ; Fernando de Talavera, to whom 
the matter was especially intrusted, had too little esteem 
for it, and was too much occupied by the stir and bustle 
of public concerns, to press it to a conclusion ; his de- 
parture with the court from Cordova, early in the spring 
of 1487, put an end to the consultations, and left Colum- 
bus in a state of the most tantalizing suspense. 

For several years he followed the movements of the 
court, continually flattered with hopes of success. Con- 
ferences were appointed at various places, but the tem- 
pest of warlike affairs, which hurried the court from place 
to place, and gave it the bustle and confusion of a camp, 
continually swept away all matters of less immediate 



FIGIII IXG AGAINST THE MOSLEMS. 39 

importance. It has generally been supposed that these 
years of irksome solicitation were spent by Columbus in 
the drowsy attendance of antechambers ; but, on the con- 
trary, they were passed amidst scenes of peril and advent- 
ure, and in following the court he was led into some of 
the most striking situations of this wild, rugged, and 
mountainous war. In one of the severest campaigns he 
is said to have distinguished himself by his personal 
prowess. He was present at the sieges and surrenders 
of Malaga and Baza, and beheld El Zagal, the elder of 
the two rival kings of Granada, yield up his crown and 
possessions to the Spanish sovereigns. During the siege 
of Baza two reverend friars, guardians of the holy sepul- 
chre at Jerusalem, arrived in tiie Spanish camp bearing a 
menace from the Grand Soldan of Egypt, that he wouUl 
put to death all the Christians in his dominions and 
destroy the sepulchre if the sovereigns did not desist 
from the war against the Moslems of Granada. It is 
probable that the pious indignation excited b}- tliis 
threat in the bosom of Columbus gave the first rise to a 
resolution which he entertained to the day of his death: 
this was to devote the profits which he anticipated from 
his discoveries to a crusade for tjie rescue of the holy 
sepulchre. 

During this long course of application Columbus parll\' 
defrayed his expenses by making maps and charts. Me 
was occasionally assisted, also, by the purse of the worthy 
friar Diego de Dcza, and was sometimes a guest of Alonzo 
de Quintanilla. It is due to the sovereigns to say, also, 
that he was attached to the royal suite, and sums issued 
to defray his e::penses, and lodgings provided for him 
when summoned to follow this rambling and warlike 
court. Whenever the sovereigns had an interval of lei- 
sure there seems to have been a disposition to attend to 



40 ' THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

his proposition ; but the hurry and tempest of the war 
returned, and the question was again swept away. 

At length, in the winter of 1491, when the sovereigns 
were preparing to depart on their final campaign in the 
vega of Granada, Columbus, losing all patience, pressed 
for a decisive reply, and Fernando de Talavera was 
ordered, therefore, to hold a final conference, and to 
report the decision of his learned brethren. He obeyed, 
and informed their majesties that the majority of the 
junto condemned the scheme as vain and impossible, and 
considered it unbecoming such great princes to engage in 
an undertaking of the kind on such weak grounds as had 
been advanced. 

A degree of consideration, however, had gradually 
grown up at court for the enterprise, and notwithstand- 
ing this unfavorable report, the sovereigns were unwilling 
to close the door on a project which might be of such im- 
portant advantages. They informed Columbus, therefore, 
that the great cares and expenses of the war rendered it 
impossible for them to engage in any new enterprises for 
the present ; but that, when the war should be concluded, 
they would have leisure and inclination to treat with him 
concerning his propositions. 

This was but a starved reply to receive after so many 
years of weary attendance. Columbus considered it a 
mere evasion of the sovereigns to relieve themselves 
from his importunity, and, giving up all hope of counte- 
nance from the throne, lie turned his back upon Seville, 
filled with disappointment and indignation. 



APPEALS TO SPA A' IS/I GRANDEES. 4 1 



CHAPTER VIII. 

COLUMBUS SEEKS PATRONAGE AMONGST THE SPANISH 
GRANDEES.— RETURNS TO IIIE CONVENT OF LA 
RABIDA.— RESUMES HIS NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE 
SOVEREIGNS. [HQl.] 

Columbus now looked round in search of some other 
source of patronage. He had received favorable letters 
both from the kings of England and of France; the king 
of Portugal, also, had invited him to return to his court; 
but he appears to have become attached to Spain, proba- 
bly from its being the residence of Beatrix Enriquez 
and his children. lie sought, therefore, to engage the 
patronage of some one of those powerful Spanish gran- 
decs, who had vast possessions, exercised feudal rights, and 
were petty sovereigns in their domains. Among these 
were the dukes of Medina Sidonia and Medina Celi ; 
both had principalities lying along the seaboard, with 
armies of vassals, and ports and shipping at their com- 
mand. Columbus had many interviews with the duke 
of Medina Sidonia, who was tempted for a time bj- tlie 
splendid prospects held out ; but their very splciulor 
threw a coloring of exaggeration over the enterprise, 
and he finally rejected it as the dream of an Italian 
visionary. 

The duke of Medina Celi was still more favorable, and 
was actually on the point of granting him three or four 
caravels which la>' ready for sea, in his harbor of Port 
St. Mary ; but he suddenly changed his mind, fearing to 
awaken the jealousy of the crown, and to be considered 
as interfering with the views of the sovereigns, who he 



42 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

knew had been treating with Columbus. He advised 
him, therefore, to return once more to court, and he 
wrote a letter to the queen in favor of his project. 

Columbus felt averse to the idea of subjecting himself 
again to the tantalizing delays and disappointments of the 
court, and determined to repair to Paris. He departed, 
therefore, for the convent of La Rabida, to seek his oldest 
son Diego, and leave him with his other son at Cordova. 

When the worthy Friar Juan Perez de Marchena 
beheld Columbus arrive once more at the gate of his 
convent, after nearly seven years' fruitless solicitation at 
the court, and saw, by the humility of his garb, the pov- 
erty he had experienced, he was greatly moved ; but 
when he found that he was on the point of leaving Spain, 
and carrying his proposition to another country, his 
patriotism took the alarm. He had been confessor to the 
queen, and knew her to be always accessible to persons 
of his sacred calling. He wrote a letter to her, therefore, 
earnestly vindicating the proposed scheme, and conjuring 
her not to turn a deaf ear to a matter of such vast impor- 
tance ; and he prevailed upon Columbus to delay his 
journey until an answer should be received. 

The ambassador chosen by the little junto of the con- 
vent was one Sebastian Rodriguez, a pilot of Lepe, who 
acquitted himself faithfully, expeditiously; and success- 
fully in his embassy. He found access to the benignant 
princess in the royal camp at Santa F^, before Granada, 
ajid delivered the epistle of the friar. He returned in 
fourteen days, with a letter from the queen, thanking 
Juan Perez for his timely services, and requesting him 
to repair immediately to the court, leaving Columbus in 
confident hope of hearing farther from her. This royal 
epistle caused great exultation in the convent. No sooner 
did the warm-hearted friar receive it than he procured a 



JUAX PEREZ PLEADS FOR COLUMBUS. 



43 



mule, and dcpartctl instantly, before miclni<,^ht, for the 
court. His sacred ofificc, and his former relation as 
father confessor, gave hiin immediate admTssion to the 
queen, and great freedom of counsel. It is ])robable 
Isabella had never heard the proposition of Columbus 




'■' n r^'^^l\\\^ 



ISABELLA, Ql'KEN OF SPAIN. 
KcUrnii'ti from an Old Print. 

urged with such honest zeal and impressive eloquence. 
She was naturally more sanguine ami susceptible than 
the king, and more open to warm and generous impulses. 
Moved by the representations of Juan Perez, she re- 
quested that Columbus might be again sent to lier, and 
kindly bethinking herself of his povert}' and his humble 



44 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

plight, ordered that a sufficient sum of money should be 
forwarded to him to defray his travelling expenses, to 
provide him with a mule for his journey, and to furnish 
him with decent raiment, that he might make a respect- 
able appearance at the court. Columbus lost no time in 
complying with the commands of the queen. He ex- 
changed his threadbare garment for one of more courtly 
texture, and, purchasing a mule, set out once more, reani- 
mated by fresh hopes, for the camp before Granada. 

He arrived in time to witness the memorable surrender 
of that capital to the Spanish arms. He beheld Boabdil 
el Chico, the last of the Moorish kings, sally forth from 
the Alhambra and yield up the keys of that favorite seat 
of Moslem power, while the king and queen, with all the 
chivalry and magnificence of Spain, moved forward in 
proud and solemn procession to receive this token of 
submission. It was one of the most brilliant triumphs in 
Spanish history. The air resounded with shouts of joy, 
with songs of triumph and hymns of thanksgiving. On 
every side were beheld military rejoicings and religious 
oblations. The court was thronged by the most illustri- 
ous of that warlike country and stirring era, by the flower 
of its nobility, the most dignified of its prelacy, by bards 
and minstrels, and all the retinue of a romantic and pict- 
uresque age. 

During this brilliant and triumphant scene, says an 
elegant Spanish writer, " a man obscure and but little 
known followed the court. Confounded in the crowd of 
importunate applicants, and feeding his imagination in 
the corners of antechambers with the pompous project of 
discovering a world, he was melancholy and dejected in 
the midst of the general rejoicing, and beheld with indif- 
ference, almost with contempt, the conclusion of a con- 
quest which swelled all bosoms with jubilee, and seemed 



NF.GOTIATIOXS WIT If THE CO CRT. 45 

to have reached the utmost bounds of desire. That man 
was Christopher Columbus." 

The moment had now arrived, hi)wcver, w hen the nioii- 
archs stood pledged to attend to his proposals. They 
kept their word, and i)ersons of confidence were ap- 
pointed to negotiate with him, among whom was Fer- 
nando de Talavera, who by the recent conquest had risen 
to be archbishop of Granada. At the very outset of their 
negotiation, however, unexpected difficulties arose. The 
principal stipulation of Columbus was that he should be 
invested with the titles and privileges of admiral and vice- 
roy over the countries he should discover, with one-tenth 
of all gains either by trade or conquest. The courtiers 
who treated with liini were indignant at such a demand 
from one whom the\' luul considered a needy adventurer. 
One observed, with a sneer, that it was a shrewd arrange- 
ment which he proposed, whereby he was certain of the 
profits and honors of a command, and had nothing to lose 
in case of failure. To this Columbus promptly replied by 
offering to furnish one-eighth of the cost on condition of 
enjoying an eighth of the profits. His terms, however, 
were pronounced inadmissible, and others were offered 
of more moderate nature; but he refused to cede one 
point of his demands, and the negotiation was broken off. 

It is impossible not to admire the great constancy of 
purpose and loftiness of spirit here displayed by Colum- 
bus. Though so large a portion of life had worn away in 
fruitless solicitings, during which \\c hail experienced the 
bitterness of povert\', neglect, ritlicule, and disajipoint- 
ment ; though there w as no certainty that he would not 
have to enter upon the same career at any other court, 
yet nothing could shake his perseverance, or make him 
descend to terms which he considered beneath the dig- 
nity of his enterprise. Indignant at the repeated disap- 



46 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

pointments he had experienced in Spain, he now deter- 
mined to abandon it forever, and, mounting his mule, 
sallied forth from Santa Fe on his way to Cordova, with 
the intention of immediately proceeding from thence to 
France. 

When the few friends who were zealous believers in the 
theory of Columbus saw him on the point of abandoning 
the country, they were filled with distress. Among the 
number was Luis de St. Angel, receiver of the ecclesiasti- 
cal revenues of Arragon, and Alonzo de Quintanilla, who 
determined to make one bold effort to avert the evil. 
They hastened to the queen, and St. Angel addressed her 
with a courage and eloquence inspired by the exigency of 
the moment. He did not confine himself to entreaties, but 
almost mingled reproaches. He expressed his astonish- 
ment that a queen who had evinced the spirit to under- 
take so many great and perilous enterprises should hesitate 
at one where the loss could be but trifling, while the gain 
might be incalculable, for all that was required for this 
great expedition was but two vessels and about thirty 
thousand crowns, and Columbus himself had offered to 
bear an eighth of the expense. He reminded her how 
much might be done for the glory of God, the promotion 
of the Christian faith, and the extension of her own power 
and dominion should this enterprise be adopted, but what 
cause of regret it would be to herself, of sorrow to her 
friends, and triumph to her enemies, should it be rejected 
by her and accomplished by some other power. He vin- 
dicated the judgment of Columbus and the soundness and 
practicability of his plans, and observed that even a fail- 
ure would reflect no disgrace upon the crown. It was 
worth the trouble and expense to clear up even a doubt 
upon a matter of such importance, for it belonged to en- 
lightened and magnanimous princes to investigate ques- 



CONSENT OF ISABELLA. 47 

tioiis of tlic kind and to explore the wonders and secrets 
of the universe. 

These, and many more arguments, were urged, with 
that persuasive power which honest zeal imparts. The 
generous s[)irit of Isabella was enkindled, and it seemed 
as if the subject, for the first time, broke upon her mind 
in its real grandeur. She declared her resolution to un- 
dertake the enterprise, but paused for a moment, remem- 
bering that King Ferdinand looked coldly on the affair, 
and that the royal treasury was absolutely drained by the 
war. Her suspense was but momentary. With an enthu- 
siasm worthy of herself and of the cause, she exclaimed, 
*' I undertake the enterprise for my own crown of Castile, 
and will pledge my jewels to raise the necessary funds." 
This was the proudest moment in the life of Isabella ; it 
stamped her renown forever as the patroness of the dis- 
covery of the New World. 

St. Angel, eager to secure this favorable resolution, 
assured her majesty that there would be no need of 
pledging her jewels, as he was ready to advance the 
necessary funds, as a loan, from the treasury of Arragon ; 
his offer was gladly accepted. 

Columbus had proceeded on his solitary journey across 
the vcga of Granada, and had reached the bridge of Finos, 
about two leagues from that city, a pass famous for bloody 
encounters during the Moorish wars. Here he was over- 
taken by a courier sent after him in all speed by the 
queen, requesting him to return to Santa Fe. He hesi- 
tated, for a moment, to subject himself again to the de- 
lays and equivocations of the court ; but when he was 
informed that Isabella had positively undertaken the en- 
terprise, and pledged her royal word, every doubt was 
dispelled, he turned the reins of his mule, and hastened 
back joyfully to Santa F6, confiding implicitly in the 
noble probity of that princess. 



48 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 



CHAPTER IX. 

ARRANGEMENT WITH THE SPANISH SOVEREIGNS. — PREP- 
ARATION FOR THE EXPEDITION AT THE PORT OF 
PALOS. [1492.] 

On arriving at Santa Fe, Columbus had an immediate 
audience of the queen, and the benignity with which 
she received him atoned for all past neglect. Through 
deference to the zeal she thus suddenly displayed, the 
king yielded his tardy concurrence, but Isabella was the 
soul of this grand enterprise. She was prompted by lofty 
and generous enthusiasm, while the king remained cold 
and calculating, in this as in all his other undertakings. 

A perfect understanding being thus effected with the 
sovereigns, articles of agreement were drawn out by Juan 
de Coloma, the royal secretary. They were to the follow- 
ing effect : 

1. That Columbus should have, for himself, during his 
life, and his lieirs and successors forever, the office of 
high admiral in all the seas, lands, and continents he 
might discover, with similar honors and prerogatives to 
those enjoyed by the high admiral of Castile in his dis- 
trict. 

2. That he should be viceroy and governor-general 
over all the said lands and continents, with the privilege 
of nominating three candidates for the government of 
each island or province, one of whom should be selected 
by the sovereigns. 

3. That he should be entitled to one-tenth of all free 
profits, arising from the merchandise and productions of 
the countries within his admiralty. 



SIGNING THE CAPITULATION. 49 

4. That he, or his lieutenant, should be the sole judge 
of causes and disputes arising out of trafific between those 
countries and Spain. 

5. That he might then, and at all after times, contrib- 
ute an eighth part of the expense of expeditions to sail 
to the countries he expected to discover, and should re- 
ceive in consequence an eighth part of the profits. 

These capitulations were signed by Ferdinand and Isa- 
bella, at the city of Santa F(5, in the vega or plain of 
Granada, on the 17th of April, 1492. All the royal docu- 
ments issued in consequence bore equally the signatures 
of Ferdinand and Isabella, but her separate crown of 
Castile defrayed all the expense. As to the money 
advanced by St. Angel out of the treasury of King Fer- 
dinand, that prudent monarch indemnified himself, some 
few years afterwards, by employing some of the first 
gold brought by Columbus from the new world to gild 
the vaults and ceilings of the grand saloon in his royal 
palace of Saragossa, in Arragon. 

One of the great objects held out by Columbus in his 
undertaking was the propagation of the Christian faith. 
He expected to arrive at the extremity of Asia, or India, 
as it was then generally termed, at the vast empire of the 
Grand Khan, of whose maritime provinces of Mangi and 
Cathay, and their dependent islands, since ascertained to 
be a part of the kingdom of China, the most magnificent 
accounts had been given by Marco Polo. Various mis- 
sions had been sent, in former times, by popes and pious 
sovereigns, to instruct this oriental potentate and his sub- 
jects in the doctrines of Christianity. Columbus hoped 
to effect this grand work, and to spread the light of the 
true faith among the barbarous countries and nations 
that were to be discovered in the unknown parts of the 
East. Isabella, from pious zeal, and Ferdinand, from 
4 



50 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

mingled notions of bigotry and ambition, accorded with 
his views, and when he afterwards departed on this voy- 
age letters were actually given him by the sovereigns, 
for the Grand Khan of Tartary. 

The ardent enthusiasm of Columbus did not stop here. 
Recollecting the insolent threat once m.ade by the soldan 
of Egypt, to destroy the holy sepulchre at Jerusalem, 
he proposed that the profits which might arise from his 
discoveries should be consecrated to a crusade for the 
rescue of the holy edifice from the power of the Infidels. 
The sovereigns smiled at this sally of the imagination, 
and expressed themselves well pleased with the idea ; 
but what they may have considered a mere momentary 
thought was a deep and cherished, design of Columbus. 
It is a curious and characteristic fact, which has never 
been particularly noticed, that the recovery of the holy 
sepulchre was the leading object of his ambition, medi- 
tated throughout the remainder of his life, and solemnly 
provided for in his will, and that he considered his great 
discovery but as a preparatory dispensation of Providence, 
to furnish means for its accomplishment. 

The port of Palos de Moguer, in Andalusia, was fixed 
upon as the place where the armament for the expedition 
was to be fitted out, the community of the place being 
obliged, in consequence of some misdemeanor, to serve 
the crown for one year with two armed caravels. A 
royal order was issued, commanding the authorities of 
Palos to have these caravels ready for sea within ten 
days, and to yield them and their crews to the command 
of Columbus. The latter was likewise empowered to fit 
out a third vessel ; nor was any restriction put upon his 
voyage, excepting that he should not go to the coast of 
Guinea, or any other of the lately discovered possessions 
of Portugal. Orders were likewise issued by the sov- 



ARRIVAL AT PALOS. 



51 



ercigns, commanding the inhabitants of the seaboard ot' 
Andalusia to furnish supplies and assistance of all kinds 
for the expedition, at a reasonable rate, and threatening 
severe penalties to such as should cause any impediment. 
As a mark of particular favor to Columbus, Isabella, 
before his departure from the court, appointed his son 
Diego page to Prince Juan, the heir apparent, an honor 
granted only to the sons of persons of distinguished rank. 
Thus gratified in his dearest wishes, Columbus took leave 
of the court on the 12th of May, and set out joyfully for 
Palos. Let those who arc disposed to faint under diffi- 




THE CONVENT OF LA RABIDA. 
Redrawn from Manning's ^^ Spanish Pictures.'''' 

cultics, in the prosecution of any great and worth)- under- 
taking, remember that eighteen years elapsed after Colum- 
bus conceived his enterprise before he was enabled to 
carry it into effect ; that the most of that time was passed 
in almost hopeless solicitation, amidst poverty, neglect, 
and taunting ridicule ; that the prime of his life had 
wasted away in the struggle ; and that, when his perse- 
verance was finalK' crowned with success, he was about 
fifty-six years of age. His example should teach the en- 
terprising never to despair. 

When Columbus arrived at Palos, and presented him- 



52 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

self once more before the gates of the convent of La 
Rabida, he was received with open arms by the worthy 
Juan Perez, and again entertained as his guest. The 
zealous friar accompanied him to the parochial church of 
St. George, in Palos, where Columbus caused the royal 
order for the caravels to be read by a notary public, in 
presence of the authorities of the place. Nothing could 
equal the astonishment and horror of the people of this 
maritime community, when they heard of the nature of 
the expedition in which they were ordered to engage. 
They considered the ships and crews demanded of them 
in the light of sacrifices devoted to destruction. All the 
frightful tales and fables with which ignorance and super- 
stition arc prone to people obscure and distant regions 
were conjured up concerning the unknown parts of the 
deep, and the boldest seamen shrunk from such a wild 
and chimerical cruise into the wilderness of the ocean. 

Repeated mandates were issued by the sovereigns, 
ordering the magistrates of Palos, and the neighboring 
town of Moguer, to press into the service any Spanish 
vessels and crews they might think proper, and threaten- 
ing severe punishments on all who should prove refrac- 
tory. It was all in vain ; the communities of those places 
were thrown into complete confusion ; tumults and alter- 
cations took place, but nothing of consequence was 
effected. 

At length, Martin Alonzo Pinzon, the wealthy and en- 
terprising navigator, who has already been mentioned, 
came forward and engaged personally in the expedition. 
He and his brother, Vicente Yanez Pinzon, who was like- 
wise a navigator of great courage and ability, possessed 
vessels, and had seamen in their employ. They were 
related to many of the seafaring inhabitants of Palos and 
Moguer, and had great influence throughout the neigh- 



EQUIPMENT OF THE ARMAMENT. 



53 



borhood. It is supposed that they furnished Columbus 
with funds to pay the eighth share of the expense, which 
he had engaged to advance. They furnished two of the 
vessels required, and determined to sail in the expedition. 
Their example and persuasions had a wonderful effect ; 
a great many of their relations and friends agreed to cm- 
bark, and the vessels were ready for sea within a month 
after they had engaged in their enterprise. 

During the equipment of the armament various diffi- 




SHIPS OK COLUMBUS. 



culties occurred. A third vessel, called the " Pinta," had 
been pressed into the service, with its crew. The own- 
ers, Gomez Rascon and Christoval Ouintero, were strongly 
repugnant to the voyage, as were most of the mariners 
under them. These people and their friends endeavored 
in various ways to retard or defeat the voyage. The 
calkers did their work in a careless manner, and, on 
being ordered to do it over again, absconded ; several 
of the seamen who had enlisted willingly, rc[iented and 
deserted. Everything had to be effected by harsh and 



54 



THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 



arbitrary measures, and in defiance of popular opposi- 
tion. 

At length, by the beginning of August, every diffi- 
culty was vanquished, and the vessels were ready for 
sea. After all the objections made by various courts to 
undertake this expedition, it is surprising how inconsid- 
erable an armament was required. Two of the vessels 
were light barks called caravels, not superior to river 
and coasting craft of modern days. They were built high 
at the prow and stern, with forecastles and cabins for the 
crew, but were without deck in the centre. Only one of 
the three, called the " Santa Maria," was completely 
decked, on board of which Columbus hoisted his flag. 
Martin Alonzo Pinzon commanded one of the caravels, 
called the "Pinta," and was accompanied by his brother, 




COLUMBUS TAKING LEAVE OF FERDINAND AND ISABELLA. 
From Dc Bry^s " I'oyages.'" 



DErARTURE ON THE FIRST VOYAGE. 55 

Francisco Martin, as mate or pilot. The other, called 
the " Nin.i," had lateen sails, and was commanded by 
Vicente Yafiez Pinzon ; on board of this vessel went Gar- 
cia Fernandez, the physician of Palos, in the capacity of 
steward. There were three other able pilots : Sancho 
Ruiz, Pedro Alonzo Nifto, and Bartholomew Roldan, and 
the whole number of persons embarked was one hundred 
and twenty. 

The squadron being ready to put to sea, Columbus 
confessed himself to the Friar Juan Perez, and partook of 
the communion, and his example was followed by the 
officers and crews, committing themselves, with the most 
devout and affecting ceremonials, to the especial guid- 
ance and protection of heaven, in this perilous enterprise. 
A deep gloom was spread over the whole community of 
Palos, for almost every one had some relation or friend on 
board of the squadron. The spirits of the seamen, already 
depressed by their own fears, were still more cast down 
at beholding the affliction of those they left behind, who 
took leave of them with tears and lamentations and dis- 
mal forebodings, as of men they were never to behold 
again. 



CHAPTER X. 

EVENTS OF THE FIRST VOYAGE. — DISCOVERY OF LAND. 

[1 492. J 

It was early in the morning of Friday, the 3d of 
August, 1492, that Columbus set sail from the bar of 
Saltcs, a small island formed by the rivers Odiel and 
Tinto, in front of Palos, steering for the Canary Islands, 
from whence he intentled to strike due west. As a guide 



56 



THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 



by which to sail, he had the conjectural map or chart 
sent him by Paolo Toscanelli, of Florence. In this it 
is supposed the coasts of Europe and Africa, from the 
south of Ireland to the end of Guinea, were delineated 
as immediately opposite to the extremity of Asia, while 
the great island of Cipango, described by Marco Polo, lay 
between them, fifteen hundred miles from the Asiatic 
coast. At this island Columbus expected first to arrive. 




PALOS. 
Redrawn from an old print. 



On the third day after setting sail, the " Pinta " made 
signal of distress, her rudder being broken and unhung. 
This was suspected to have been done through the con- 
trivance of the owners, Gomez Rascon and Christoval 
Quintero, to disable the vessel and cause her to be left 
behind. Columbus was much disturbed at this occur- 
rence. It gave him a foretaste of the difficulties to be 
apprehended from people partly enlisted on compulsion, 
and full of doubt and foreboding. Trivial obstacles 
might, in this early stage of the voyage, spread panic and 



DELAY AT CANARY ISLANDS. 57 

mutiny through his crews, and induce them to renounce 
the prosecution of the enterprise. 

Martin Alonzo Pinzon, who commanded the " Pinta," 
secured the rudder with cords, but these fastenings soon 
gave way, and the caravel proving defective in other 
respects, Cohimbus remained three weeks cruising among 
the Canary Islands in search of another vessel to replace 
her. Not being able to find one, the " Pinta " was re- 
paired and furnished with a new rudder. The lateen sails 
of the " Nifla " were also altered into square sails, that she 
might work more steadily and securely. While making 
these repairs, and taking in wood and water, Columbus 
was informed that three Portuguese caravels had been 
seen hovering off the island of Ferro. Dreading some 
hostile stratagem on the part of the king of Portugal, in 
revenge for his having embarked in llic service of Spain, 
he put to sea early on the morning of the 6th of Septem- 
ber, but for three days a profound calm detained the 
vessels within a short distance of the land. This was a 
tantalizing delay, for Columbus trembled lest something 
should occur to defeat his expedition, and was impatient 
to find himself far upon the ocean, out of sight of either 
land or sail ; which, in the pure atmosphere of these lati- 
tudes, may be descried at an immense distance. 

On Sunday, the 9th of September, as day broke, he 
beheld Ferro about nine leagues distant ; he was in the 
very neighborhood, therefore, where the Portuguese cara- 
vels had been seen. Fortunately a breeze sprang up with 
the sun, and in the course of the day the heights of Ferro 
gradually faded from the horizon. 

On losing sight of this last trace of land, the hearts of 
the crews failed them, for they seemed to have taken 
leave of the world. Behind them was everything dear 
to the heart of man — country, family, friends, life itself; 



58 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

before them everything was chaos, mystery, and peril. 
In the perturbation of the moment they despaired of 
ever more seeing their homes. Many of the rugged sea- 
men shed tears, and some broke into loud lamentations. 
Columbus tried in every way to soothe their distress, 
describing the splendid countries to which he expected to 
conduct them, and promising them land, riches, and every- 
thing that could arouse their cupidity or inflame their 
imaginations ; nor were these promises made for purposes 
of deception, for he certainly believed he should realize 
them all. 

He now gave orders to the commanders of the other 
vessels, in case they should be separated by any accident, 
to continue directly westward ; but that, after sailing 
seven hundred leagues, they should lay by from midnight 
until daylight, as at about that distance he confidently 
expected to find land. Foreseeing that the vague terrors 
already awakened among the seamen would increase with 
the space which intervened between them and their 
homes, he commenced a stratagem which he continued 
throughout the voyage. This was to keep two reckonings, 
one private, in which the true way of the ship was noted, 
and which he retained in secret for his own government; 
the other public, for general inspection, in which a num- 
ber of leagues was daily subtracted from the sailing of the 
ships, so as to keep the crews in ignorance of the real 
distance they had advanced. 

When about one hundred and fifty leagues west of 
Ferro they fell in with part of a mast of a large vessel, 
and the crews, tremblingly alive to every portent, looked 
with a rueful eye upon this fragment of a wreck, drifting 
ominously at the entrance of these unknown seas. 

On the 13th of September, in the evening, Columbus, 
for the first time, noticed the variation of the needle, a 




If) 

< 

o 

u 

X 
E- 






^ ^ 



Z 

o 
< 
< 






O 



6o THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

phenomenon which had never before been remarked. He 
at first made no mention of it, lest his people should be 
alarmed ; but it soon attracted the attention of the pilots, 
and filled them with consternation. It seemed as if the 
very laws of Nature were changing as they advanced, and 
that they were entering another world, subject to unknown 
influences. They apprehended that the compass was 
about to lose its mysterious virtues, and, without this 
guide, what was to become of them in a vast and track- 
less ocean ? Columbus tasked his science and ingenuity 
for reasons with which to allay their terrors. He told 
them that the direction of the needle was not to the polar 
star, but to some fixed and invisible point. The varia- 
tion, therefore, was not caused by any fallacy in the com- 
pass, but by the movement of the north star itself, which, 
like the other heavenly bodies, had its changes and revo- 
lutions, and every day described a circle round the pole. 
The high opinion they entertained of Columbus as a pro- 
found astronomer gave weight to his theory, and their 
alarm subsided. 

They had now arrived within the influence of the trade 
wind, which, following the sun, blows steadily from east 
to west between the tropics, and sweeps over a few ad- 
joining degrees of the ocean. With this propitious breeze 
directly aft, they were wafted gently but speedily over a 
tranquil sea, so that for many days they did not shift a 
sail. Columbus in his journal perpetually recurs to the 
bland and temperate serenity of the weather, and com- 
pares the pure and balmy mornings to those of April in 
Andalusia, observing that the song of the nightingale was 
alone wanting to complete the illusion. 

They now began to see large patches of herbs and 
weeds, all drifting from the west. Some were such as 
grow about rocks or in rivers, and as green as if recently 



UNEASINESS OF THE CREIV. 6 1 

washed from the land. On one of the patches was a Hve 
crab. They saw also a white tropical bird, of a kind 
which never sleeps upon the sea; ant! tunny fish played 
about the ships. Columbus now supposed himself arrived 
in the weedy sea described by Aristotle, into which cer- 
tain ships of Cadiz had been driven by an impetuous east 
wind. 

As he advanced, there were various other signs that 
gave great animation to the crews ; many birds were seen 
flying from the west ; there was a cloudiness in the north, 
such as often hangs over land ; and at sunset the imagi- 
nation of the seamen, aided by their desires, would shape 
those clouds into distant islands. Every one was eager 
to be the first to behold and announce the wished-for 
shore ; for the sovereigns had promised a pension of 
thirty crowns to whomsoever should first discover land. 
Columbus sounded occasionally with a line of two hun- 
dred fathoms, but found no bottom. Martin Alonzo 
Pinzon, as well as others of his officers and many of the 
seamen, were often solicitous for Columbus to alter 
his course and steer in the direction of these favorable 
signs ; but he persevered in steering to the westward, 
trusting that, by keeping in one steady direction, he 
should reach the coast of India, even if he should miss 
the intervening islands, and might then seek them on his 
return. 

Notwithstanding the precaution which had been taken 
to keep the people ignorant of the distance they had sailed, 
they gradually became uneasy at the length of the voyage. 
The various indications of land which occasionally flat- 
tered their hopes passed away one after another, and 
the same interminable expanse of sea and sky continued 
to extend before them. They had advanced much far- 
ther to the west than ever man had sailed before, and 



62 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

though already beyond the reach of succor, were still 
pressing onward and onward into that apparently bound- 
less abyss. Even the favorable wind, which seemed as if 
providentially sent to waft them to the New World with 
such bland and gentle breezes, was conjured by their fears 
into a source of alarm. They feared that the wind in 
these seas always prevailed from the east, and if so, would 
never permit their return to Spain, A few light breezes 
from the west allayed, for a time, their last apprehension; 
and several small birds, such as keep about groves and 
orchards, came singing in the morning, and flew away at 
night. Their song was wonderfully cheering to the hearts 
of the poor mariners, who hailed it as the voice of land. 
The birds they had hitherto seen had been large and 
strong of wing, but such small birds, they observed, were 
too feeble to fly far, and their singing showed that they 
were not exhausted by their flight. 

On the following day there was a profound calm, and 
the sea, as far as the eye could reach, was covered with 
weeds, so as to have the appearance of a vast inundated 
meadow — a phenomenon attributed to the immense quan- 
tities of submarine plants which are detached by the cur- 
rents from the bottom of the ocean. The seamen now 
feared that the sea was growing shallow ; they dreaded 
lurking rocks and shoals and quicksands ; and that their 
vessels might run aground, as it were, in the midst of the 
ocean, far out of the track of human aid, and with no 
shore where the crews could take refuge. Columbus 
proved the fallacy of this alarm by sounding with a deep- 
sea line and finding no bottom. 

For three days there was a continuance of light sum- 
mer airs, from the southward and westward, and the sea 
was as smooth as a mirror. The crews now became un- 
easy at the calmness of the weather. They observed that 




CULUMUUS ON IIIE UliCK OF HIS SHIP WITH AN ASTROLABE IN 

HIS HAND. 

From De Bry^s " yoyages." 



64 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

the contrary winds they experienced were transient and 
unsteady, and so light as not to ruffle the surface of the 
sea ; the only winds of constancy and force were from the 
west, and even they had not power to disturb the torpid 
stillness of the ocean. There was a risk, therefore, either 
of perishing amidst stagnant and shoreless waters, or of 
being prevented by contrary winds from ever returning to 
their native country. 

Columbus continued, with admirable patience, to reason 
with these absurd fancies, but in vain, when, fortunately, 
there came on a heavy swell of the sea, unaccompanied 
by wind — a phenomenon that often occurs in the broad 
ocean, caused by the impulse of some past gale or distant 
current of wind. It was, nevertheless, regarded with as- 
tonishment by the mariners, and dispelled the imaginary 
terrors occasioned by the calm. 

The situation of Columbus was daily becoming more 
and more critical. The impatience of the seamen arose 
to absolute mutiny. They gathered together in the re- 
tired parts of the ships, at first in little knots of two and 
three, which gradually increased and became formidable, 
joining in murmurs and menaces against the Admiral. 
They exclaimed against him as an ambitious desperado 
who in a mad fantasy had determined to do something 
extravagant to render himself notorious. What obliga- 
tion bound them to persist, or when were the terms of 
their agreement to be considered as fulfilled? They had 
already penetrated into seas untraversed by a sail, and 
where man had never before adventured. Were they to 
sail on until they perished, or until all return with their 
frail ships became impossible? Who would blame them 
should they consult their safety and return ? The Admi- 
ral was a foreigner, a man without friends or influence. 
His scheme had been condemned by the learned as idle 



© ccmtc^ 




A CAKAVtI. UNDKK SAIL. 
Fro>/i Columbiis^s Just tetter. 



66 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

and visionary, and discountenanced by people of all 
ranks. There was, therefore, no party on his side, but 
rather a large number who would be gratified by his 
failure. 

Such are some of the reasonings by which these men 
prepared themselves for open rebellion. Some even pro- 
posed, as an effectual mode of silencing all after com- 
plaints of the Admiral, that they should throw him into 
the sea, and give out that he had fallen overboard while 
contemplating the stars and signs of the heavens, with his 
astronomical instruments. 

Columbus was not ignorant of these secret cabals, but 
he kept a serene and steady countenance, soothing some 
with gentle words, stimulating the pride or the avarice 
of others, and openly menacing the most refractory with 
punishment. New hopes diverted them for a time. On 
the 25th of September Martin Alonzo Pinzon mounted 
on the stern of his vessel and shouted, "Land! land! 
Senor, I claim the reward!" There was, indeed, such 
an appearance of land in the southwest that Columbus 
threw himself upon his knees and returned thanks to 
God, and all the crews joined in chanting Gloria in Excel- 
sis. The ships altered their course and stood all night 
to the southwest, but the morning light put an end to all 
their hopes as to a dream ; the fancied land proved to be 
nothing but an evening cloud, and had vanished in the 
night. 

For several days they continued on, with alternate 
hopes and murmurs, until the various signs of land be- 
came so numerous that the seamen, from a state of de- 
spondency, passed to one of high excitement. Eager to 
obtain the promised pension, they were continually giving 
the cry of land, until Columbus declared that should any 
one give a notice of the kind and land not be discovered 



COMPLAINTS OF THE CREW. 67 

within three days afterwards, he should thenceforth for- 
feit all claim to the reward. 

On the 7th of October they had come seven hundred 
and fifty leagues, the distance at which Columbus had 
computed to find the island of Cipango. There were 
great flights of small field birds to the southwest, which 
seemed to indicate some neighboring land in that direc- 
tion, where they were sure of food and a resting-place. 
Yielding to the solicitations of Martin Alonzo Pinzon 
and his brothers, Columbus, on the evening of the 7th, 
altered his course, therefore, to the west-southwest. As 
he advanced, the signs of land increased ; the birds 
came singing about the ships ; and herbage floated by 
as fresh and green as if recently from shore. When, 
however, on the evening of the third day of this new 
course, the seamen beheld the sun go down upon a 
shoreless horizon, they again broke forth into loud 
clamors, and insisted upon abandoning the voyage. 
Columbus endeavored to pacify them by gentle words 
and liberal promises ; but finding these only increased 
their violence, he assumed a different tone, and told 
them it was useless to murmur; the expedition had 
been sent by the sovereigns to seek the Indies, and 
happen what might, he was determined to persevere 
until, by the blessing of God, he should accomplish the 
enterprise. 

lie was now at open defiance with his crew, and his 
situation would have been desperate, but, fortunately, the 
manifestations of land on the following day were such 
as no longer to admit of doubt. A green fish, such as 
keeps about rocks, swam by the ships ; and a branch of 
thorn, with berries on it, floated by ; they picked up, also, 
a reed, a small board, and. above all, a staff artificially 
carved. All gloom and murmuring was now at an end, 



68 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

and throughout the day each one was on the watch for 
the long-sought land. 

In the evening, when, according to custom, the mari- 
ners had sung the Salve rcgma, or vesper hymn to the 
Virgin, Columbus made an impressive address to his 
crew, pointing out the goodness of God in thus conduct- 
ing them by soft and favoring breezes across a tranquil 
ocean to the promised land. He expressed a strong con- 
fidence of making land that very night, and ordered that 
a vigilant lookout should be kept from the forecastle, 
promising to whomsoever should make the discovery a 
doublet of velvet, in addition to the pension to be given 
by the sovereigns. 

The breeze had been fresh all day, with more sea than 
usual ; at sunset they stood again to the west, and were 
plowing the waves at a rapid rate, the " Pinta " keeping 
the lead from her superior sailing. The greatest anima- 
tion prevailed throughout the ships ; not an eye was closed 
that night. As the evening darkened, Columbus took 
his station on the top of the castle or cabin on the high 
poop of his vessel. However he might carry a cheerful 
and confident countenance during the day, it was to him 
a time of the most painful anxiety ; and now, when he 
was wrapped from observation by the shades of night, 
he maintained an intense and unremitting watch, ranging 
his eye along the dusky horizon, in search of the most 
vague indications of land. Suddenly, about ten o'clock, 
he thought he beheld a light glimmering at a distance. 
Fearing that his eager hopes might deceive him, he called 
to Pedro Gutierrez, gentleman of the king's bedchamber, 
and demanded whether he saw a light in that direction. 
The latter replied in the affirmative. Columbus, yet 
doubtful whether it might not be some delusion of the 
fancy, called Rodrigo Sanchez of Segovia, and made the 




THE SHIP OF COLUMBUS, THE " OCEAN WAVE." 
From Columbus's first Utter. 



*JO THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

same inquiry. By the time the latter had ascended the 
roundhouse the light had disappeared. They saw it 
once or twice afterwards in sudden and passing gleams, 
as if it were a torch in the bark of a fisherman, rising and 
sinking with the waves ; or in the hands of some person 
on shore, borne up and down as he walked from house to 
house. So transient and uncertain were these gleams 
that few attached any importance to them ; Columbus, 
however, considered them as certain signs of land, and, 
moreover, that the land was inhabited. 

They continued on their course until two in the morn- 
ing, when a gun from the " Pinta " gave the joyful signal 
of land. It was first discovered by a mariner named Rod- 
riguez Bermejo, resident of Triana, a suburb of Seville, 
but native of Alcala de la Guadaira ; but the reward was 
afterwards adjudged to the Admiral, for having previously 
perceived the light. The land was now clearly seen 
about two leagues distant, whereupon they took in sail, 
and laid to, waiting impatiently for the dawn. 

The thoughts and feelings of Columbus in this little 
space of time must have been tumultuous and intense. 
At length, in spite of every difficulty and danger, he 
had accomplished his object. The great mystery of the 
ocean was revealed ; his theory, which had been the scoff 
of sages, was triumphantly established ; he had secured 
to himself a glory which must be as durable as the world 
itself. 

It is difficult even for the imagination to conceive the 
feelings of such a man, at the moment of so sublime a 
discovery. What a bewildering crowd of conjectures 
must have thronged upon his mind, as to the land which 
lay before him, covered with darkness. That it was 
fruitful was evident from the vegetables which floated 
from its shores. He thought, too, that he perceived in 



LANDING OF COLUMBUS. 7 1 

the balmy air the fragrance of aromatic groves. The 
moving light which he had beheld proved that it was 
the residence of man. Ikit w hat were its inhabitants ? 
Were they like those of other parts of the globe, or were 
they some strange and monstrous race, such as the imagi- 
nation in those limes was prone to give to all remote 
and unknown regions? Had he come upon some wild 
island, far in the Indian seas; or was this the famed 
Cipango itself, the object of his golden fancies? A 
thousand speculations of the kind must have swarmed 
upon him, as he watched for the night to pass away ; 
wondering whether the morning light would reveal a 
savage wilderness, or dawn upon spicy groves and glit- 
tering fanes and gilded cities, and all the splendors of 
oriental civilization. 



CHAPTER XI. 

FIRST LANDING OF COLUMBUS IN THE NEW WORLD. — 
CRUISE AMONG THE BAHAMA ISLANDS. — DISCOVERY 
OF CUBA AND HISPANIOLA. [1492.] 

When the day dawned, Columbus saw before him a 
level and beautiful island, several leagues in extent, of 
great freshness and verdure, and covered with trees like 
a continual orchard. Though everything appeared in 
the wild luxuriance of untamed nature, yet the island 
was evidently populous, for the inhabitants were seen 
issuing from the woods, and running from all parts to 
the shore. They were all perfectly naked, and, from their 
attitudes and gesture, appeared lost in astonishment at 
the sight of the ships. Columbus made signal to cast 
anchor, and to man the boats. He entered his own boat 



72 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

richly attired in scarlet, and bearing the royal standard. 
Martin Alonzo Pinzon, and Vicente Yanez, the brother, 
likewise put off in their boats, each bearing the banner 
of the enterprise, emblazoned with a green cross, having 
on each side the letters F and Y, surmounted by crowns, 
the Spanish initials of the Castilian monarchs, Fernando 
and Ysabel. 

As they approached the shores they were delighted by 
the beauty and grandeur of the forests ; the variety of 
unknown fruits on the trees which overhung the shores ; 
the purity and suavity of the atmosphere, and the crystal 
transparency of the seas which bathe these islands. On 
landing, Columbus threw himself upon his knees, kissed 
the earth, and returned thanks to God with tears of joy. 
His example was followed by his companions, whose 
breasts, indeed, were full to overflowing. Columbus, then 
rising, drew his sword, displayed the royal standard, and 
took possession, in the names of the Castilian sovereigns, 
giving the island the name of San Salvador. He then 
called upon all present to take the oath of obedience to 
him, as Admiral and Viceroy, and representative of the 
sovereigns. 

His followers now burst forth into the most extrava- 
gant transports. They thronged around him, some em- 
bracing him, others kissing his hands. Those who had 
been most mutinous and turbulent during the voyage, 
were now most devoted and enthusiastic. Some begged 
favors of him, as of a man who had already wealth and 
honors in his gift. Many abject spirits, who had outraged 
him by their insolence, now crouched at his feet, begging 
his forgiveness, and offering, for the future, the blindest 
obedience to his commands. 

The natives of the island, when, at the dawn of day, 
they had beheld the ships hovering on the coast, had 



MEETING WITH THE SAVAGES. 



73 



supposed them some monsters, which liad issued from 
the deep during the nigiit. Their veering about, with- 
out any apparent effort, and the shifting and furling of 
their sails, resembling huge wings, filled them with aston- 
ishment. When they beheld the boats approach the 







NATIVK HUTS, HAMACS, ETC. 
Redrau'n from Gott/riedVs " Ncwe 11',//." 

shore, and a number of strange beings, clad in glittering 
steel, or raiment of various colors, landing upon the beach, 
they fled in affright to their woods. Finding, however, that 
there was no attempt to pursue or molest them, they 
gradually recovered from their terror, antl ap])nKichctl the 



74 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

Spaniards with great awe, frequently prostrating them- 
selves, and making signs of adoration. During the cere- 
mony of taking possession they remained gazing, in timid 
admiration, at the complexion, the beards, the shining 
armor, and splendid dress of the Spaniards. The Admi- 
ral particularly attracted their attention, from his com- 
manding height, his air of authority, his scarlet dress, and 
the deference paid to him by his companions ; all which 
pointed him out to be the commander. When they had 
still further recovered from their fears they approached 
the Spaniards, touched their beards, and examined their 
hands and faces, admiring their whiteness. Columbus, 
pleased with their simplicity, their gentleness, and the 
confidence they reposed in beings who must have ap- 
peared so strange and formidable, submitted to their scru- 
tiny with perfect acquiescence. The wondering savages 
were won by this benignity; they now supposed that the 
ships had sailed out of the crystal firmament which 
bounded their horizon, or that they had descended from 
above, on their ample wings, and that these marvellous 
beings were inhabitants of the skies. 

The natives of the island were no less objects of curi- 
osity to the Spaniards, differing, as they did, from any 
race of men they had ever seen. They were entirely 
naked, and painted with a variety of colors and devices, 
so as to have a wild and fantastic appearance. Their nat- 
ural complexion was of a tawny, or copper, hue, and they 
were entirely destitute of beards. Their hair was not 
crisped, like the recently discovered tribes of Africa under 
the same latitude, but straight and coarse, partly cut 
above the ears, but some locks behind left long, and fall- 
ing upon their shoulders. Their features, though disfig- 
ured by paint, were agreeable ; they had lofty foreheads 
and remarkably fine eyes. They were of moderate stat- 



FRIENDLINESS OF THE SAVAGES. 75 

urc and well shaped ; most of them api)eared to be under 
thirty years of age. There was but one female with them, 
quite young, naked, like her companions, and beautifully 
formed. They appeared to be a simple and artless peo- 
ple, and of gentle and friendly dispositions. Their only 
arms were lances, hardened at the end by fire, or pointed 
with a flint or the bone of a fish. There was no iron to 
be seen among them, nor did they know its properties, 
for when a drawn sword was presented to them they 
unguardedly took it by the edge. Columbus distributed 
among them colored caps, glass beads, hawk's bells, and 
other trifles, which they received as inestimable gifts 
V and, decorating themselves with them, were wonderfully 
delighted with their finery. 

As Columbus supposed himself to have landed on an 
island at the extremity of India, he called the natives by 
the general appellation of Indians, which was universally 
adopted before the nature of his discovery was known, 
and has since been extended to all the aboriginals of the 
New World. The Spaniards remained all day on shore, 
refreshing themselves, after their anxious voyage, amidst 
the beautiful groves of the island, and they returned to 
their ships late in the evening, delighted with all they had 
seen. 

The island where Columbus had thus, for the first time, 
set his foot upon the New World, is one of the Lucayos, 
or Bahama Islands, and was called by the natives Guana- 
hani ; it still retains the name of San Salviidor, which he 
gave it, though called by the English, Caz Island. The 
light which he had seen the evening previous to his mak- 
ing land may have been on Watling's Island, which lies a 
few leagues to the east. 

On the following morning, at tlaybreak, some of the 
natives came swimming off to the ships, and otiiers came 



^(> THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

in light barks, which they called canoes, formed of a sin- 
gle tree, hollowed, and capable of holding from one man 
to the number of forty or fifty. The Spaniards soon dis- 
covered that they were destitute of wealth, and had little 
to offer in return for trinkets, except balls of cotton yarn 
and domesticated parrots. They brought cakes of a kind 
of bread called cassava, made from \.\\q yucca root, which 
constituted a principal part of their food. 

The avarice of the discoverers was awakened by per- 
ceiving small ornaments of gold in the noses of some of 
the natives. On being asked where this precious metal 
was procured, they answered by signs, pointing to the 
south, and Columbus understood them to say that a 
king resided in that quarter, of such wealth that he was 
served in great vessels of gold. He interpreted all their 
imperfect communications according to his previous ideas 
and his cherished wishes. They spoke of a warlike 
people, who often invaded their island from the north- 
west, and carried off the inhabitants. These he concluded 
to be the people of the mainland of Asia, subjects to the 
Grand Khan, who, according to Marco Polo, were accus- 
tomed to make war upon the islands and make slaves 
of the natives. The rich country to the south could be 
no other than the island of Cipango, and the king who 
was served out of golden vessels must be the monarch 
whose magnificent palace was said to be covered with 
plates of gold. 

Having explored the island of Guanahani, and taken 
in a supply of wood and water, Columbus set sail in 
quest of the opulent country to the south, taking seven 
of the natives with him, to acquire the Spanish language, 
and serve as interpreters and guides. 

He now beheld a number of beautiful islands, green, 
level, and fertile, and the Indians intimated by signs that 



AMOXG THE BAHAMAS. 77 

they were innumerable ; he supposed tlieni to be a part 
of the Ljreat archipehi<^o described by Marco Polo as 
stretching along the coast of Asia, and abounding with 
spices and odoriferous trees. He visited three of them, 
to which he gave the names of Santa Maria de la Con- 
ception, Fernandina, and Isabella. The inhabitants gave 
the same proofs as those of San Salvador of being totally 
unaccustomed to the sight of civilized man. They re- 
garded the Spaniards as superhuman beings, approached 
them with propitiatory offerings, of whatever their pov- 
erty, or, rather, their simple and natural mode of life, 
afforded ; the fruits of their fields and groves, their cot- 
ton yarn, and their domesticated parrots. When the 
Spaniards landed in search of water they took them to 
the coolest springs, the sweetest and freshest runs, filling 
their casks, rolling them to the boats, and seeking in 
every way to gratify their celestial visitors. 

Columbus was enchanted by the lovely scenery of some 
of these islands. " I know not," says he, " where first 
to go, nor are my eyes ever weary of gazing jon the 
beautiful verdure. The singing of the birds is such that 
it seems as if one would never desire to depart hence. 
There are flocks of parrots that obscure the sun, and 
other birds of many kinds, large and small, entirely 
different from ours. Trees, also, of a thousand species, 
each having its particular fruit, and all of marvellous 
flavor. I believe there are many herbs and trees which 
would be of great value in Spain for tinctures, medicines, 
and spices, but I know nothing of them, which gives me 
great vexation." 

The fish which abounded in these seas partook of the 
novelty which characterized most of the objects in this 
new world. They rivalled the birds in the tropical 
brilliancy of their colors, the scales of some of them 



78 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

glanced back the rays of light like precious stones, and 
as they sported about the ships they flashed gleams of 
gold and silver through the crystal waves. 

Columbus was disappointed in his hopes of finding any 
gold or spices in these islands; but the natives continued 
to point to the south as the region of wealth, and began 
to speak of an island in that direction, called Cuba, which, 
the Spaniards understood them to say, abounded in gold, 
pearls, and spices, carried on an extensive commerce, and 
that large merchant ships came to trade with the inhab- 
itants. Columbus concluded this to be the desired 
Cipango, and the merchant ships to be those of the 
Grand Khan. He set sail in search of it, and after being 
delayed for several days, by contrary winds and calms, 
among the small islands of the Bahama bank and chan- 
nel, he arrived in sight of it on the 28th of October, 

As he approached this noble island he was struck with 
its magnitude, the grandeur of its mountains, its fertile 
valleys and long, sweeping plains, covered by stately 
forests and watered by noble rivers. He anchored in a 
beautiful river to the west of Nuevitas del Principe, and 
taking formal possession of the island, gave it the name of 
Juana, in honor of Prince Juan, and to the river the name 
of San Salvador. 

Columbus spent several days coasting this part of the 
island and exploring the fine harbors and rivers with 
which it abounds. From his continual remarks in his 
journal on the beauty of the scenery, and from the pleas- 
ure which he evidently derived from rural sounds and 
objects, he appears to have been extremely open to those 
delicious influences exercised over some spirits by the 
graces and wonders of nature. He was, in fact, in a mood 
to see everything through a fond and favoring medium, 
for he was enjoying the fulfillment of his hopes, the hard- 



AMONG THE ANTILLES. 79 

earned but glorious reward of his toils aiul perils, and it 
is diffieult to conceive the rapturous state of his feelings 
while thus exploring the charms uf a virgin world, won by 
his enterprise and valor. 

In the sweet smell of the woods and the odor of the 
flowers he fancied he perceived the fragrance of oriental 
spices, and along the shores he found shells of the oyster 
which produces pearls. He frequently deceived himself 
in fancying that he heard tlie song of the nightingale, a 
bird unknown in these countries. From the grass grow- 
ing to the very edge of the water he inferred the peace- 
fulness of the ocean which bathes these islands, never 
lashing the shores with angry surges. Ever since his 
arrival among these Antilles he had experienced nothing 
but soft and gentle weather, and he concluded that a per- 
petual serenity reigned over these seas, little suspicious of 
the occasional bursts of fury to which they are liable, and 
to the tremendous hurricanes which rend and devastate 
the face of nature. 

While coasting the island he landed occasionally and 
visited the villages, the inhabitants of wdiich fled to the 
woods and mountains. The houses were constructed of 
branches of palm-trees, in the shape of pavilions, and were 
scattered under the spreading trees, like tents in a camp. 
They were better built than those he had hitherto visited, 
and extremely clean. He found in them rude images 
and wooden masks, carved w ith considerable ingenuitx'. 
Finding implements for fishing in all the cabins, Ife con- 
cluded that the coasts were inhabited merely by fisher- 
men, who supplied the cities in the interior. 

After coasting to the northwest for some distance 
Columbus came in sight of a great headland, to which, 
from the groves which covered it, he gave the name of 
the Cape of Palms. Here he learnt that behind this bay 



8o THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

there was a river, from whence it was but four days' jour- 
ney to Cubanacan. By this name the natives designated 
a province in the centre of Cuba ; nacan in their language 
signifying, in the midst. Columbus fancied, however, 
that they were talking of Cublai Khan, the Tartar sov- 
ereign, and understood them to say that Cuba was not an 
island, but terra firma. He concluded that this must be 
a part of the mainland of Asia, and that he could be at no 
great distance from Mangi and Cathay, the ultimate des- 
tination of his voyage. The prince said to reign over the 
neighboring country might be some oriental potentate of 
consequence; he determined, therefore, to send a present 
to him, and one of his letters of recommendation from the 
Castilian sovereigns. For this purpose he chose two Span- 
iards, one of whom was a converted Jew, and knew He- 
brew, Chaldaic, and a little Arabic, one or other of which 
languages, it was thought, must be known to this oriental 
prince. Two Indians were sent with them as guides ; 
they were furnished with strings of beads and various 
trinkets, for their travelling expenses, and enjoined to 
inform themselves accurately concerning the situation of 
certain provinces, ports, and rivers of Asia, and to ascer- 
tain whether drugs and spices abounded in the country. 
The ambassadors penetrated twelve leagues into the 
interior, when they came to a village of fifty houses, and 
at least a thousand inhabitants. They were received with 
great kindness, conducted to the principal house, and pro- 
visions placed before them, after which the Indians seated 
themselves on the ground around their visitors, and 
waited to hear what they had to communicate. 

The Israelite found his Hebrew, Chaldaic, and Arabic 
of no avail, and the Lucayen interpreter had to be the 
orator. He made a regular speech after the Indian man- 
ner, extolling the power, wealth, and munificence of the 



TOBACCO USED BY THE NATIVES. 8 1 

white men. When he had finished, the Indians crowded 
round the Spaniards, touched and examined their skin 
and raiment, and kissed their hands and feet in token of 
adoration. There was no appearance of gold, or any 
other article of great value, among them ; and when 
they were shown specimens of v^arious spices they said 
there was nothing of the kind to be found in the neigh- 
borhood, but far off to the southwest. 

Finding no traces of the city and court they had antici- 
pated, the envoys returned to their ships; on the way 
back they beheld several of the natives going about with 
firebrands in their hands, and certain dried herbs, whicli 
they rolled u[) in a leaf, and lighting one end, put the 
other in their mouths, and continued inhaling and puff- 
ing out the smoke. A roll of this kind they called a to- 
bacco ; a name since transferred to the weed itself. The 
Spaniards were struck with astonishment at this singular, 
and apparently preposterous, luxury, although prepared 
to meet with wonders. 

The report of the envoys put an end to many splendid 
fancies of Columbus about this barbaric prince and his 
capital ; all that they had seen betokened a primitive 
and simple state of society ; the country, though fertile 
and beautiful, was wild, and but slightly and rudely culti- 
vated ; the people were evidently strangers to civilized 
man, nor could they hear of any inland city superior to 
the one they had visited. 

As fast as one illusion passed away, however, another 
succeeded. Columbus now understood from the signs 
of the Indians that there was a country to the eastward 
where the people collected gold along the river banks by 
torchlight, and afterwards wrought it into bars with 
hamiTiers. In speaking of this place they frequently 
used the words Babeque and Bohio, which he supposed 
6 



82 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

to be the names of islands or provinces. As the sea- 
son was advancing, and the cool nights gave hints of 
approaching winter, lie resolved not to proceed further 
to the north, and turning eastward, sailed in quest of 
Babeque, which he trusted might prove some rich and 
civilized island. 

After running along the coast for two or three days, 
and passing a great cape, to which he gave the name of 
Cape Cuba, he stood out to sea in the direction pointed 
out by the Indians. The wind, however, came directly 
ahead, and after various ineffectual attempts he had to 
return to Cuba. What gave him great uneasiness was 
that the " Pinta," commanded by Martin Alonzo Pinzon, 
parted company with him during this attempt. She was 
the best sailer, and had worked considerably to windward 
of the other ships. Pinzon paid no attention to the sig- 
nals of Columbus to turn back, though they were repeat- 
ed at night by lights at the masthead; when morning 
dawned, the " Pinta " was no longer to be seen. 

Columbus considered this a wilful desertion, and was 
much troubled and perplexed by it. Martin Alonzo had 
for some time shown impatience at the domination of the 
Admiral. He was a veteran navigator, of great abilities, 
and accustomed from his wealth and standing to give the 
law among his nautical associates. He had furnished two 
of the ships and much of the funds for the expedition, 
and thought himself entitled to an equal share in the 
command. Several disputes, therefore, had occurred be- 
tween him and the Admiral. Columbus feared he might 
have departed to make an independent cruise, or might 
have the intention to hasten back to Spain, and claim the 
merit of the discovery. These thoughts distracted his 
mind, and embarrassed him in the farther prosecution of 
his discoveries. 



FIKST SIGHT OF IIAYTI. 83 

For several da}'.s he continued explorin<^ the coast of 
Cuba, until he reached the eastern end, and to which, 
from supposing it the extreme point of Asia, he y,ave tin; 
name of Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. 
While steering at large beyond this cape, undetermined 
which course to take, he descried higii mountains tower- 
ing above the clear horizon to the southeast, and giving 
evidence of an island of great extent. He immediately 
stood for it, to the great consternation of his Indian 
guides, who assured him by signs that the inhabitants had 
but one eye, and were fierce and cruel cannibals. 

In the transparent atmosphere of the tropics, objects 
are descried at a great distance, and tlie purity of the air 
and serenity of the deep blue sky give a magical charm to 
scenery. Under these advantages, the beautiful island of 
Hayti revealed itself to the eye as they approached. Its 
mountains were higher and more rocky than those of the 
other islands, but the rocks rose from among rich forests. 
The mountains swept down into luxuriant plains and 
green savannas, while the appearance of cultivated fields, 
with the numerous fires at night, and the columns of smoke 
which rose in various parts by day, all showed it to be 
populous. It rose before them in all the splendor of troj)- 
ical vegetation, one of the most beautiful islands in the 
world, and doomed to be one of the most unfortunate. 



CHAPTER XII. 

COASTING OF IIISl'ANIOLA. — ^Sll Il'WRECK, AND olIlKR 
OCCURRENCES AT THE ISLAND. [1492.] 

On the evening of the 6th of December, Columbus 
entered a harbtir at the western end of the i-;land, to 



!3njiJla ^;^[]>«iia f > \ 




GALLEY COASTING THE ISLAND OF HISPANIOLA. 

From an illustration of a letter written by Coliniilms to Don 
Raphael Xansis, treasurer of the king of Spain. An ex- 
tremely rare edition of the letter exists in the library of 
Milan. The original sketch is supposed to have been made 

ivith a pen by Columbus. 



INTERCOURSE JVITJJ THE NATIVES. 85 

whicli lie gave the name of St. Nicholas, by which it is 
called at the present day. Not being able to meet with 
any of the inhabitants, who had fled from their dwellings, 
he coasted along the northern side of the island to another 
harbor, which he called Conception. Here the sailors 
causiht several kinds of fish similar to those of their own 
country; they heard also the notes of a bird which sings 
in the night, and which they mistook for the nightingale, 
and the)' fancied the features of the surrounding country 
resembled those of the more beautiful provinces of Spain ; 
in consequence of this idea the Admiral named the island 
Espaiiola, or, as it is commonly written, Hispaniola. Af- 
ter various ineffectual attempts to obtain a communication 
with the natives, three sailors succeeded in overtaking a 
young and handsome female, who was flying from them, 
and brought their wild beaut)' in triumph to the ships. 
She was treated with the greatest kindness, and dismissed 
finely clothed, and loaded w ith presents of beads, hawk's 
bells, and other baubles. Confident of the favorable im- 
pression her account of her treatment and the sight of 
her presents must produce, Columbus, on the following 
day, sent nine men, well armed, to seek her village, accom- 
panied by a native of Cuba as an interpreter. The village 
was situated in a fine valley, on the banks of a beautiful 
river, and contained about a thousand houses. The na- 
tives fled at first, but being reassured by the interpreter, 
they came back to the number of two thousand, and ap- 
proached the Spaniards with awe and trembling, often 
pausing and putting their hands upon their heads in token 
of reverence and submission. 

The female also, who had been entertained on board of 
the ships, came borne in triumph on the shoulders of some 
of her countrymen, followed by a multitude, and preceded 
bv her husband, who was full of gratitude for the kindness 




DISCOVERY OF HISPANIOLA. 
From Herreras " History of the West Indies.^ 



VISIT FROM A CACIQUE. 8/ 

witli which she had been treated. Having recovered 
from their fears, the natives conducted the Spaniards to 
their houses, and set before them cassava bread, fish, 
roots, and fruits of various kinds ; offering them freely 
whatever they possessed, for a frank hospitality reigned 
throughout the island, where as yet the passion of ava- 
rice was unknown. 

The Spaniards returned to the vessels enraptured with 
the beauty of the country, surpassing, as they said, even 
the luxuriant valley of Cordova ; all that they complained 
of was that they saw no signs of riches among the natives. 

Continuing along the coast, Columbus had farther in- 
tercourse with the natives, some of whom had ornaments 
of gold, which they readily exchanged for the merest 
trifle of European manufacture. At one of the harbors, 
where he was detained by contrary winds, he was visited 
by a young cacique, apparently of great importance, who 
came borne on a litter by four men, and attended by two 
hundred of his subjects. He entered the cabin w^here 
Columbus was dining, and took his seat beside him, with 
a frank, unembarrassed air, while two old men, who were 
his counsellors, seated themselves at his feet, watching 
his lips, as if to catch and communicate his ideas. If any- 
thing were given him to eat, he merely tasted it, and sent 
it to his followers, maintaining an air of great gravity and 
dignity. After dinner, he presented the Admiral with a 
belt curiously wrought, and two pieces of gold. Colum- 
bus made him various presents in return ; he showed him 
a coin bearing the likenesses of Ferdinand and Isabella, 
and endeavored to give him an idea of the power and 
grandeur of those sovereign?. The cacique, however, 
could not be made to believe that there was a region on 
earth which produced such wonderful people and won- 
derful things, but persisted in the idea that the Spaniards 







NATIVES CARRYING A CACIQUE. 
Redra-wn /rotn Ilerrera's ^^ History 0/ the li'est Indies.'" 



HOSPITALITY OF THE NATIVES. 89 

were more than mortal, and that tlie country and sovcr- 
eii;iis they spoke of must exist somewhere in the skies. 

On the 20th of December, Columbus anchored in a 
fine harbor, to which he gave the name of Si. Thomas, 
supposed to be what at present is called the Bay of Aciil. 
Here a large canoe visited the ships, bringing messengers 
from a grand cacique named Guacanagari, who resided 
on the coast a little farther to the eastward, and reigned 
over all that part of the island. The messengers bore a 
present of abroad belt, wrought ingeniously with colored 
beads and bones, and a wooden mask, the eyes, nose, and 
tongue of which were of gold. They invited Columbus, 
in the name of the cacique, to come wMth his ships oppo- 
site to the village where he resided. Adverse winds 
prevented an immediate compliance with this invitation ; 
he therefore sent a boat well armed, with the notary of 
the squadron, to visit the chieftain. The latter returned 
with so favorable an account of the appearance of the 
village, and the hospitality of the cacique, that Columbus 
determined to set sail for his residence as soon as the 
wind would permit. 

Early in the morning of the 24th of December, there- 
fore, he weighed anchor, with a light wind that scarcely 
filled the sails. By eleven o'clock at night he was within 
a league and a half of the residence of the cacique ; the 
sea was calm and smooth, and the ship almost motionless. 
The Admiral, having had no sleep the preceding night, 
retired to take a little repose. No sooner had he left the 
deck than the steersman gave the helm in charge to one 
of the ship boys, and went to sleep. This was in direct 
violation of an invariable order of the Admiral, never to 
intrust the helm to the boys. The rest of the mariners 
who had the watch took like advantage of the absence of 
Columbus, and in a little while the whole crew was buried 



90 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

in sleep. While this security reigned over the ship, the 
treacherous currents, which run swiftly along this coast, 
carried her smoothly, but with great violence, upon a 
sandbank. The heedless boy, feeling the rudder strike, 
and hearing the rushing of the sea, cried out for aid. 
Columbus was the first to take the alarm, and was soon 
followed by the master of the ship, whose duty it was to 
have been on watch, and by his delinquent companions. 
The Admiral ordered them to carry out an anchor astern, 
that they might warp the vessel ofT. They sprang into 
the boat, but being confused and seized with a panic, as 
men are apt to be when suddenly awakened by an alarm, 
instead of obeying the commands of Columbus they 
rowed off to the other caravel. Vicente Yafiez Pinzon, 
who commanded the latter, reproached them with their 
pusillanimity, and refused to admit them on board, and, 
manning his boat, he hastened to the assistance of the 
Admiral. 

In the meantime the ship, swinging across the stream, 
had been set more and more upon the bank. EfTorts 
were made to lighten her by cutting away the mast, but 
in vain. The keel was firmly bedded in the sand ; the 
seams opened, and the breakers beat against her, until 
she fell over on one side. Fortunately, the weather con- 
tinued calm, otherwise both ship and crew must have 
perished. The Admiral abandoned the wreck, and took 
refuge, with his men, on board of the caravel. He laid- 
to until daylight, sending messengers on shore to inform 
the cacique Guacanagari of his disastrous shipwreck. 

When the chieftain heard of the misfortune of his guest 
he was so much afflicted as to shed tears ; and never, in 
civilized country, were the vaunted rites of hospitality 
more scrupulously observed than by this uncultured sav- 
age. He assembled his people, and sent off all his canoes 



FRIENDLINESS OF THE NATIVES. 9I 

to tlic assistance of the Admiral, assuring him, at the same 
time, that everything lie possessed was at his service. 
The effects were huuled from the wreck and deposited 
near the dwelling of the cacique, and a guard set over 
them until houses could be prepared, in v\ hich they could 
be stored. There seethed, however, no ch'sposition among 
the natives to take advantage of the misfortune of the 
strangers, or to plunder the treasures thus cast upon their 
shores, though they must have been inestimable in their 
eyes. Even in transporting the effects from the ship, 
they did not attempt to pilfer or conceal the most trifling 
article. On the contrary, they manifested as deep a con- 
cern at the disaster of the Spaniards as if it liad happened 
to themselves, and their only study was how they could 
administer relief and consolation. Columbus was greatly 
affected by this unexpected goodness. " These people," 
said he in his journal, intended for the perusal of the 
sovereigns, " love their neighbors as themselves; their 
discourse is ever sweet and gentle, and accompanied by 
a smile. I swear to your majesties, there is not in the 
world a better nation or a better land." 

When tlie cacique first met with Columbus he was 
much moved at beholding his dejection, and again offered 
him everything he possessed that could be of service to 
him. He invited him on shore, where a banquet was pre- 
pared for his entertainment, consisting of various kinds 
of fish and fruit, and an animal called ntia by the natives, 
which resembled a cony. After the collation, he con- 
ducted Columbus to the beautiful groves which surround- 
ed his residence, where upwards of a thousand of tlie na- 
tives were assembled, all perfectly naked, who performed 
several of their national games and dances. Thus did 
this generous cacique try, by every means in his power, 
to cheer the melancholy of his guest, showing a warmth 



92 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

of sympathy, a delicacy of attention, and an innate dignity 
and refinement which could not have been expected from 
one in his savage state. He was treated with great defer- 
ence by his subjects, and conducted himself towards them 
with a gracious and prince-like majesty. His whole de- 
portment, in the enthusiastic eyes of Columbus, betokened 
the inborn grace and dignity of lofty lineage. 

When the Indians had finished their games, Columbus 
gave them an entertainment in return, calculated to im- 
press them with a formidable opinion of the military 
power of the Spaniards. A Castilian, who had served 
in the wars of Granada, exhibited his skill in shooting 
with a Moorish bow, to the great admiration of the ca- 
cique. A cannon and an arquebuse were likewise dis- 
charged ; at the sound of which the Indians fell to the 
ground, as though they had been struck by a thunderbolt. 
When they saw the effect of the ball, rending and shiver- 
ing the trees, they were filled with dismay. On being 
told, however, that the Spaniards would protect them 
with these arms against the invasions of their dreaded 
enemies, the Caribs, their alarm was changed into con- 
fident exultation, considering themselves under the pro- 
tection of the sons of heaven, who had come from the 
skies, armed with thunder and lightning. The cacique 
placed a kind of coronet of gold on the head of Columbus, 
and hung plates of the same metal round his neck, and 
he dispensed liberal presents among his followers. What- 
ever trifles Columbus gave in return were regarded with 
reverence, as celestial gifts, and were said by the Indians 
to have come from Turcy, or heaven. 

The extreme kindness of the cacique, the gentleness of 
his people, and the quantities of gold daily brought by 
the natives, and exchanged for trifles, contributed to con- 
sole Columbus for his misfortunes. When Guacanagari 




NATIVKS DANCING. 
RairawH from Gott/rUJt's " Ncwc Welty 



94 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

perceived the great value which the Admiral attached to 
gold, he assured him, by signs, that there was a place 
not far off, among the mountains, where it abounded to 
such a degree as to be regarded with indifference; and 
he promised to procure him, from thence, as much as 
he desired. Columbus gathered many other particulars 
concerning this golden region. It was called Cibao, and 
lay among high and rugged mountains. The cacique who 
ruled over it owned many rich mines, and had banners of 
wrought gold. Columbus fancied that the name of Cibao 
must be a corruption of Cipango, and flattered himself 
that this was the very island productive of gold and 
spices, mentioned by Marco Polo. 

Three houses had been given to the shipwrecked crew 
for their residence. Here, living on shore, and mingling 
freely with the natives, they became fascinated by their 
easy and idle mode of life. They were governed by 
their caciques with an absolute but patriarchal and easy 
rule, and existed in that state of primitive and savage 
simplicity which some philosophers have fondly pictured 
as the most enviable on earth. " It is certain," says old 
Peter Martyr, "that the land among these people is as 
common as the sun and water ; and that ' mine and thine,' 
the seeds of all mischief, have no place with them. They 
are content with so little that, in so large a country, they 
have rather superfluity than scarceness ; so that they seem 
to live in a golden world, without toil, in open gardens, 
neither intrenched, nor shut up by walls or hedges. They 
deal truly with one another, without laws or books or 
judges." In fact, they seemed to disquiet themselves 
about nothing ; a few fields, cultivated almost without 
labor, furnished roots and vegetables, their groves were 
laden with delicious fruit, and the coast and rivers abound- 
ed with fish. Softened by the indulgence of nature, a 







< I 



t3 






v^.5 I 



96 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

great part of the day was passed by them in indolent re- 
pose, in that luxury of sensation inspired by a serene sky 
and voluptuous climate, and in the evening they danced 
in their fragrant groves, to their national songs, or the 
rude sound of their sylvan drums. 

When the Spanish mariners looked back upon their 
own toilsome and painful life, and reflected upon the 
cares and hardships that must still be their lot should 
they return to Europe, they regarded with a wistful eye 
the easy and idle existence of these Indians, and many 
of them, representing to the Admiral the difficulty and 
danger of embarking so many persons in one small caravel, 
entreated permission to remain in the island. The request 
immediately suggested to Columbus the idea of forming 
the germ of a future colony. The wreck of the caravel 
would furnish materials and arms for a fortress ; and the 
people who should remain in the island could explore it. 
learn the language of the natives, and collect gold, while 
the Admiral returned to Spain for re-enforcements. Gua- 
canagari was overjoyed at finding that some of these 
wonderful strangers were to remain for the defence of 
his island, and that the Admiral intended to revisit it. 
He readily gave permission to build the fort, and his sub- 
jects eagerly aided in its construction, little dreaming 
that they were assisting to place on their necks the gall- 
ing yoke of perpetual and toilsome slavery. 

While thus employed, a report was brought to Colum- 
bus, by certain Indians, that another ship was at anchor 
in a river at the eastern end of the island ; he concluded 
it of course to be the " Pinta," and immediately dispatched 
a canoe in quest of it, with a letter for Pinzon, urging 
him to rejoin him immediately. The canoe coasted the 
island for thirty leagues, but returned without having 
heard or seen anything of the " Pinta," and all the anxiety 



COMPLETES THE EOR TRESS OE I. A N A VI DAD. 9/ 

ot llic Admiral was revived; should tliat vessel be lost, 
the whole success of his expedition would depend on the 
return of his own craz}' bark, across an immense expanse 
of ocean, where the least accident mi^ht bury it in the 
deep, and witii it all record of his discovery. He dared 
not, therefore, prolong his voyage, and explore those mag- 
nificent regions which seemed to invite on every hand, 
but determined to return immediately to Spain. 

So great was the activity of the Spaniards and the 
assistance of the natives, that in ten days the fortress 
was coinplcted. It consisted of a strong wooden tower, 
with a vault beneath, and the whole surrounded by a 
wide ditch. It was supplied with the ammunition, and 
mounted with the cannon saved from the wreck, and was 
considered sufficient to overawe and repulse the whole 
of this naked and unwarlike people, Columbus gave the 
fortress and harbor the name of La Navidad, or the 
Nativity, in memorial of having been preserved from the 
wreck of his ship on Christmas day. From the number 
of volunteers that offered to remain, he selected thirty- 
nine of the most trustworthy, putting them under the 
command of Diego de Arana, notary and alguazil of the 
armament. In case of his death, Pedro Gutierrez was 
to take the command, and he, in like case, to be succeeded 
by Rodrigo de Escobido. He charged the men, in the 
most emphatic manner, to be obedient to their com- 
manders, respectful to Guacanagari and his chieftains, 
and circumspect and friendly in their intercourse with 
the natives. lie warned them not to scatter themselves 
asunder, as their safety would depend upon their united 
force, and not to stray beyond the territory of the 
friendly cacique. He enjoined it upon Arana and the 
other commanders to employ themselves in gaining a 
knowledge of the island, in amassing gold and spices, 
7 



98 



THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 



and in searching for a more safe and convenient harbor 
for that settlement 

Before his departure he gave the natives another mili- 
tary exhibition, to increase their awe of the prowess of 
the white men. The Spaniards performed skirmishes 
and mock fights, with swords, bucklers, lances, cross- 
bows, and firearms. The Indians were astonished at the 
keenness of the steeled weapons, and the deadly power 
of the crossbows and muskets; but nothing equaled 
their awe and admiration when the cannon were dis- 
charged from the fortress, wrapping it in smoke, shaking 
the forests with their thunder, and shivering the stoutest 
trees. 

When Columbus took leave of Guacanagari, the kind- 
hearted cacique shed many tears, for, while he had been 
awed by the dignified demeanor of the Admiral, and the 
idea of his superhuman nature, he had been completely 
won by the benignity of his manners. The seamen too 
had made many pleasant connections among the Indians, 
and they parted with mutual regret. The sorest parting, 
however, was with their comrades who remained behind, 
from that habitual attachment formed by a companion- 
ship in perils and adventures. When the signal gun was 
fired, they gave a parting cheer to the gallant handful 
of volunteers thus left in the wilderness of an unknown 
world, who echoed their cheering as they gazed wist- 
fully after them from the beach, but who were destined 
never to welcome their return. 



DEPARTURE EOR SPAIN. QQ 



CHAPTER XIII. 

RETURN VOYAGE. — VIOLENT STORMS. — ARRIVAL AT 

I'ORTUGAL. [1493.] 

It was on the 4th of January that Cohimbus set sail 
from La Navichad, on his return to Spain. On the 6th, as 
he was beating alon^j the coast, with a head wind, a sailor 
at the masthead cried out that there was a sail at a dis- 
tance, standing towards them. To their great joy it 
proved to be tlie " Pinta," which came sweeping before 
the wind u ith flowing canvas. On joining the Admiral, 
Pinzon endeavored to excuse his desertion by saying 
that he had been separated from him by stress of weath- 
er, and had ever since been seeking him. Columbus 
listened passively but incredulously to these excuses, 
avoiding any words that miglit produce altercations, and 
disturb the remainder of the voyage. He ascertained, 
afterwards, that Pinzon had parted company intentionally, 
and had steered directly east, in quest of a region where 
the Indians on board of his vessel had assured him he 
would find gold in abundance. They had guiilcd him 
to Hispaniola, where he had been for sf)me time in a 
river about fifteen leagues east of La Navidad, trading 
with the natives. He had collected a large quantity of 
gold, one-half of which he retained as captain, the rest 
he divided among his men to secure their secrecy and 
fidelit}'. On leaving the river he had carried off four 
Indian men and two girls, to be sold in Spain. 

Columbus sailed for this river, to which he gave the 
name of Rio de Gracia, but it long continued to be 
known as the river of Martin Alonzo. Here he ordered 



lOO THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

the four men and two girls to be dismissed, well clothed 
and with many presents, to atone for the wrong they 
had experienced, and to allay the hostile feeling it might 
have caused among the natives. This restitution was 
not made without great unwillingness and many angry 
words on the part of Pinzon. 

After standing for some distance further along the 
coast they anchored in a vast bay, or rather gulf, three 
leagues in breadth, and extending so far inland that Co- 
lumbus at first supposed it to be an arm of the sea. Here 
he was visited by the people of the mountains of Ciguay, 
a hardy and warlike race, quite different from the gentle 
and peaceful people they had hitherto met with on 
this island. They were of fierce aspect and hideously 
painted, and their heads were decorated with feathers. 
They had bows and arrows, war clubs, and swords made 
of palm wood, so hard and heavy that a blow from them 
would cleave through a helmet to the very brain. At 
the first sight of these ferocious-looking people Colum- 
bus supposed them to be the Caribs, so much dreaded 
throughout these seas ; but on asking for the Caribbean 
Islands the Indians still pointed to the eastward. 

With these people the Spaniards had a skirmish, in 
which several of the Indians were slain. This was the 
first contest they had had with the inhabitants of the New 
World, and the first time that native blood had been shed 
by white men. From this skirmish Columbus called the 
place El Golfo de las Fleches, or, the gulf of Arrows ; but 
it is now known by the name of the gulf of Samana. He 
lamented that all his exertions to maintain an amicable 
intercourse had been ineffectual, and anticipated further 
hostility on the part of the natives ; but on the following 
day they approached the Spaniards as freely and confi- 
dently as if nothing had happened; the cacique came on 



ADVERSE IV/XDS. lOI 

board with only three attendants, and throughout all their 
subsequent dealings they betrayed no signs of lurking fear 
or enmity. This frank and confiding conduct, so indic- 
ative of a brave and generous nature, was properly appre- 
ciated by Columbus; he entertained the cacique with 
great distinction, and at parting made many presents to 
him and his attendants. This cacique of Ciguay was 
named Mayonabex, and in subsequent events of this his- 
tory will be found to acquit himself with valor and mag- 
nanimity under the most trying circumstances. 

Columbus, on leaving the bay, took four young Indians 
to guide him to the Caribbean Islands, situated to the 
east, of which they gave him very interesting accounts, 
as well as of the island of Mantinino, said to be inhabited 
by Amazons. A favorable breeze sprang up, however, 
f(ir the voyage homewards, and, seeing gloom and impa- 
tience in the countenances of his men at the idea of 
diverging from their route, he gave up his intention 
of visiting these islands for the present, and made all 
sail for Spain. 

The trade winds, which had been so propitious on the 
outward voyage, were equally adverse to a return. The 
favorable breeze soon died away ; light winds from the 
east, and frequent calms, succeeded, but they had intervals 
of favorable weather, and by the I2th of February they 
had made such progress as to begin to flatter themselves 
with the hopes of soon beholding land. The wintl now 
came on to blow violently; on the following evening 
there were three flashes of lightning in the north-north- 
cast, from which signs Columbus predicted an approach- 
ing tempest. It soon burst upon them with frightful 
violence; their small and crazy vessels were little fitted 
for the wild storms of the Atlantic ; all night they were 
obliged to scud under bare poles at the mcrc)' of the 



I02 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

elements. As the morning dawned there was a tran- 
sient pause, and they made a little sail, but the wind rose 
with redoubled fury from the south and increased in the 
night, the vessels laboring terribly in a cross sea, which 
threatened at each moment to overwhelm them, or dash 
them to pieces. The tempest still augmenting, they were 
obliged again to scud before the wind. The Admiral 
made signal lights for the " Pinta " to keep in company ; 
for some time she replied by similar signals, but she 
was separated by the violence of tlic storm ; her lights 
gleamed more and more distant, until they ceased en- 
tirely. When the day dawned the sea presented a fright- 
ful waste of wild, broken waves, lashed into fury by the 
gale ; Columbus looked round anxiously for the " Pinta," 
but she was nowhere to be seen. 

Throughout a dreary day the helpless bark was driven 
along by the tempest. Seeing all human skill baffled 
and confounded, Columbus endeavored to propitiate 
Heaven by solemn vows. Lots were cast to perform 
pilgrimages and penitences, most of which fell upon 
Columbus ; among other things, he was to perform a 
solemn mass, and to watch and pray all night in the 
chapel of the convent of Santa Clara, at Moguer. Vari- 
ous private vows were made by the seamen, and one by 
the Admiral and the whole crew, that, if they were spared 
to reach the land, they would walk in procession, bare- 
footed, and in their shirts, to offer up thanksgivings in 
some church dedicated to the Virgin. 

The heavens, however, seemed deaf to all their vows ; 
the storm grew still more furious, and every one gave 
himself up for lost. During this long and awful conflict 
of the elements, the mind of Columbus was a prey to the 
most distressing anxiety. He was harassed by the re- 
pinings of his crew, who cursed the hour of their leaving 




•J 
> 



r. < 



?-. 

C 

a 
< 

O 

-«: 



I04 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

their country, and their want of resolution in not com- 
pelling him to abandon the voyage. He was afflicted, 
also, when he thought of his two sons, who would be left 
destitute by his death. But he had another source of 
distress, more intolerable than death itself. It was highly 
probable that the " Pinta " had foundered in the storm. 
In such case, the history of his discovery would depend 
upon his own feeble bark ; one surge of the ocean might 
bury it forever in oblivion, and his name only remain as 
that of a desperate adventurer, who had perished in pur- 
suit of a chimera. 

In the midst of these gloomy reflections an expedient 
suggested itself, by which, though he and his ships might 
perish, the glory of his achievement might survive to his 
name, and its advantages be secured to his sovereigns. 
He wrote on parchment a brief account of his discovery, 
and of his having taken possession of the newly found 
lands in the name of their Catholic majesties. This he 
sealed and directed to the king and queen, and super- 
scribed a promise of a thousand ducats to whomsoever 
should deliver the packet unopened. He then wrapped 
it in a waxed cloth, which he placed in the centre of a 
cake of wax, and inclosing the whole in a cask, threw it 
into the sea. A copy of this memorial he inclosed in a 
similar manner, and placed it upon the poop of his vessel, 
sovthat, should the caravel sink, the cask might float off 
and survive. 

Happily, these precautions, though wise, were super- 
fluous ; at sunset there was a streak of clear sky in the 
west, the wind shifted to that quarter, and on the morn- 
ing of the 15th of February they came in sight of land. 
The transports of the crew at once more beholding the 
old world were almost equal to those they had experi- 
enced on discovering the new. For two or three days, 



LANDING ON THE AZORES. IO5 

however, the wind again became contrai}', and they 
remained hovering in sight of land, of u hich they only 
caught glimjises through the mist and rack. At length 
they came to anchor at the island of St. Mar)''s, the most 
southern of the Azores, and a possession of the crown of 
Portugal. An ungenerous reception, however, awaited 
the poor, tempest-tossed mariners, on their return to the 
abode of civilized man, far different from the kindness 
and hospitality they had experienced among the savages 
of the New World. Columbus had sent one-half of the 
crew on shore, to fulfill the vow of a barefooted procession 
to a hermitage or chapel of the Virgin, which stood on a 
solitary part of the coast, and awaited their return to 
perform the same ceremony with the remainder of his 
crew. Scarcely had they begun their prayers and thanks- 
giving, when a party of horse and foot, headed by the 
governor of the island, surrounded the hermitage and took 
them all prisoners. The real object of this outrage was 
to get possession of the person of Columbus; for the 
King of Portugal, jealous lest his enterprise might inter- 
fere with his own discoveries, had sent orders to his com- 
manders of islands and distant ports to seize and detain 
him wherever he should be met with. 

Having failed in this open attempt, the governor next 
endeavored to get Columbus in his power by stratagem, 
but was equall}' unsuccessful, A violent altercation took 
place between them, and Columbus threatened him with 
the vengeance (if his sovereigns. At length, after two or 
three days' detention, the sailors who had been captured 
in the chapel were released ; the governor pretended to 
have acted through doubts of Columbus having a rcefular 
commission, but that being now convinced of his being 
in the service of the Spanish sovereigns, he was ready 
to )-ield him every service in his power. The Admiral 



I06 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

did not put his offers to the proof. The wind became 
fafvorable for the continuation of his voyage, and he again 
set sail, on the 24th of February. After two or three 
days of pleasant sailing there was a renewal of tem- 
pestuous weather. About midnight of the 2d of March 
the caravel was struck by a squall, which rent all her sails, 
and threatened instant destruction. The crew were again 
reduced to despair, and made vows of fastings and pil- 
grimages. The storm raged throughout the succeeding 
day, during which, from various signs, they considered 
themselves in the vicinity of land, which they supposed 
must be the coast of Portugal. The turbulence of the 
following night was dreadful. The sea was broken, wild, 
and mountainous, the rain fell in torrents, and the light- 
ning flashed and the thunder pealed from various parts 
of the heavens. 

In the first watch of this fearful night the seamen gave 
the usually welcome cry of land, but it only increased 
their alarm, for they were ignorant of their situation, and 
dreaded being driven on shore or dashed upon the rocks. 
Taking in sail, therefore, they endeavored to keep to sea 
as much as possible. At daybreak on the 4th of March 
they found themselves off the rock of Cintra, at the 
mouth of the Tagus. Though distrustful of the good-will 
of Portugal, Columbus had no alternative but to run in for 
shelter, and he accordingly anchored about three o'clock 
in the river, opposite to Rastello. The inhabitants came 
off from various parts of the shore, to congratulate him on 
what they deemed a miraculous preservation, for they 
had been watching the vessel the whole morning with 
great anxiety, and putting up prayers for her safety. 
The oldest mariners of the place assured him that they 
had never known so tempestuous a winter. Such were 
the difficulties and perils with which Columbus had to 



ARRIVAL IN PORTUGAL. IO7 

conteiul on liis return to Kuropc ; had one-tenth part of 
them beset his outward voyage, his factious crew would 
liave risen in arms against the enterprise, and he never 
would have discovered the New World. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

VISIT OF COLUMBUS TO THE COURT OF PORTUGAL.— 
ARRIVAL AT PALOS. [1493.I 

Inlmkdiatelv on his arrival in the Tagus, Columbus 
despatched a courier to the king and queen of Spain, 
with tidings of his discovery. He wrote also to the 
king of Portugal, entreating permission to go to Lisbon 
with his vessel, as a report had got abroad that she was 
laden with gold, and he felt himself insecure in the neigh- 
borhood of a place like Rastello, inhabited by needy and 
adventurous people. At the same time he stated the 
route and events of his voyage, lest the king should sus- 
pect him of having been in the route of the Portuguese 
discoveries. 

The tidings of this wonderful bark, freighted with 
the people and productions of a newly discovered world, 
filled all Lisbon with astonishment. For several days 
the Tagus was covered with barges and boats going to 
and from it. Among the visitors were various officers 
of the crown, and cavaliers of high distinction. All hung 
with rapt attention upon the accounts of the voyage, 
and ga/xd w ith insatiable curiosity upon the plants and 
animals, and, above all, upon the inhabitants of the New 
World. The enthusiasm of some, and the avarice of 
others, was excited, while many repined at the incredulity 



I08 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

of the king and his counsellors, by which so grand a dis- 
covery had been forever lost to Portugal. 

On the 8th of March Columbus received a messag-e 
from King John, congratulating him upon his arrival, and 
inviting him to the court at Valparaiso, about nine leagues 
from Lisbon. The king at the same time ordered that 
anything which the Admiral required for himself or his 
vessel should be furnished free of cost. 

Columbus distrusted the good faith of the king, and set 
out reluctantly for the court ; but his reception was what 
might have been expected from an enlightened and liberal 
prince. On approaching the royal residence he was met 
by the principal personages of the king's household, and 
conducted with great ceremony to the palace. The king 
welcomed him to Portugal, and congratulated him on the 
glorious result of his enterprise. He ordered him to seat 
himself in his presence, an honor only granted to persons 
of royal dignity, and assured him that everything in his 
kingdom was at the service of his sovereigns and himself. 
They had repeated conversations about the events of the 
voyage, and the king made minute inquiries as to the 
soil, productions, and people of the newly discovered 
countries, and the routes by which Columbus had sailed. 
The king listened with seeming pleasure to his replies, 
but was secretly grieved at the thought that this splen- 
did enterprise had been offered to him and refused. He 
was uneasy, also, lest this undefined discovery should in 
some way interfere with his own territories, compre- 
hended in the papal bull which granted to the crown of 
Portugal all the lands it should discover from Cape Non 
to the Indies. 

On suggesting these doubts to his counsellors, they 
eagerly encouraged them, for some of them were the very 
persons who had scoffed at Columbus as a dreamer, and 



JEALOUSY OF THE KING OF PORTUGAL. ICX) 

his success covered them with confusicjii. Tiiey declared 
that the color, hair, and manners of the natives brought 
in the caravel agreed exactly with the descriptions given 
of the people of that part of India granted to Portugal 
by the papal bull. Others observed that there was but lit- 
tle distance between the Terceira Islands and those which 
Columbus had discovered ; the latter, therefore, clearly 
belonged to Portugal. Others eutleavored to awaken 
the anger of the king, by declaring that Columbus had 
talked in an arrogant and vainglorious tone of his dis- 
cover}', merely to revenge himself upon the monarch for 
having rejected his propositions. 

Seeing the king deeply perturbed in sjjirit, some even 
went so far as to propose, as an effectual means of 
impeding the prosecution of these enterprises, that Co- 
lumbus should be assassinated. It would be an easy 
matter to take advantage of his lofty deportment, to 
pique his pride, provoke him to an altercation, and sud- 
denly dispatch him as if in casual and honorable en- 
counter. 

Happil)', the king had too much magnanimity to adopt 
such wicked and dastardly counsel. Though secretly 
grieved and mortified that the rival power of Spain should 
have won this triumph which he had rejected, yet he did 
justice to the great merit of Columbus, and honored him 
as a distinguished benefactor to mankind. He felt it 
his duty, also, as a generous prince, to protect all strangers 
driven by adverse fortune to his ports. Others of his 
council advised that he should secret 1\- fit t)ut a powerful 
armament, and dispatch it, under guidance of two Por- 
tuguese mariners who had sailed with Columbus, to take 
possession of the newly discovered country; In- might 
then settle the question of right with Spain by an appeal 
to arms. This counsel, in which there was a mixture of 



no THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

courage and craft, was more relished by the king, and he 
resolved to put it promptly in execution. 

In the meantime Columbus, after being treated with 
the most honorable attentions, was escorted back to his 
ship by a numerous train of cavaliers of the court, and 
on the way paid a visit to the queen at a monastery of 
San Antonio at Villa Franca, where he was listened to 
with wonder, as he related the events of his voyage to 
her majesty and the ladies of her court. The king had 
offered him a free passage by land to Spain, at the royal 
expense, but as the weather had moderated, he preferred 
to return in his caravel. Putting to sea on the 13th of 
March, therefore, he arrived safely at Palos on the 15th, 
having taken not quite seven months and a half to 
accomplish this most momentous of all maritime enter- 
prises. 

The triumphant return of Columbus was a prodigious 
event in the little community of Palos, every member of 
which was more or less interested in the fate of the expe- 
dition. Many had lamented their friends as lost, while 
imagination had lent mysterious horrors to their fate. 
When, therefore, they beheld one of the adventurous 
vessels furling her sails in their harbor, from the dis- 
covery of a world, the whole community broke forth 
into a transport of joy, the bells were rung, the shops 
shut, and all business suspended. Columbus landed, and 
walked in procession to the church of St. George, to 
return thanks to God for his safe arrival. Wherever 
he passed the air rang with acclamations, and he received 
such honors as are paid to sovereigns. What a contrast 
was this to his departure a few months before, followed 
by murmurs and execrations; or rather, what a contrast 
to his first arrival at Palos, a poor pedestrian, craving 
bread and water for his child at the gate of a convent ! 



i 



PINION ARRIVES AT PA LOS. I I I 

Understanding that the court was at Barcelona, he at 
first felt disposed to proceed there in the caravel, but, 
reflecting" on the dangers and disasters of his recent 
voyage, he gave up the idea, and dispatched a letter to 
the sovereigns, informing them of his arrival. He then 
departed for Seville to await their reply. It arrived 
within a few days, and was as gratifying as his heart 
could have desired. The sovereigns were dazzled and 
astonished by this sudden and easy acquisition of a new 
empire of indefinite extent, and apparently boundless 
wealth. They addressed Columbus by his titles of Ad- 
miral and Viceroy, promising him still greater rewards, 
antl urging him to repair immediately to court to con- 
cert plans for a second and more extensive expedition. 

It is fitting here to speak a word of the fate of Martin 
Alonzo Pinzon. By a singular coincidence, which ap- 
pears to be well authenticated, he anchored at Palos on 
the evening of the same day that Columbus had arrived. 
He had been driven by the storm into the Bay of Biscay, 
and had made the port of Bayonne. Doubting whether 
Columbus had survived the tempest, he had immediately 
written to the sovereigns, giving an account of the dis- 
covery, and requesting permission to come to court and 
relate the particulars in person. As soon as the weather 
was favorable he again set sail, anticipating a trium- 
phant reception in his native port of Palos. When, on 
entering the harbor, he beheld the vessel of the Admiral 
riding at anchor, and learned the enthusiasm with which he 
had been received, his heart died within him. It is said 
he feared to meet Columbus in this hour of his triumph, 
lest he should put him under arrest for his desertion on 
the coast of Cuba ; but this is not likely, for he was a 
man of too much resolution to yield to such a fear. It 
is more probable that a consciousness of his misconduct 



112 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

made him unwilling to appear before the public in the 
midst of their enthusiasm for Columbus, and to witness 
the honors heaped upon a man whose superiority he had 
been so unwilling to acknowledge. Whatever may have 
been his motive, it is said that he landed privately in his 
boat, and kept out of sight until the departure of the 
Admiral, when he returned to his home, broken in health, 
and deeply dejected, awaiting the reply of the sovereigns 
to his letter. The reply at length arrived, forbidding 
his coming to court, and severely reproaching him for 
his conduct. This letter completed his humiliation ; the 
wounds of his feelings gave virulence to his bodily 
malady, and in a few days he died, a victim to grief 
and repentance. 

Let no one, however, indulge in harsh censures over 
the grave of Pinzon. His merits and services are en- 
titled to the highest praise ; his errors should be regarded 
with indulgence. He was one of the first in Spain to 
appreciate the project of Columbus, animating him by 
his concurrence, and aiding him with his purse when 
poor and unknown at Palos. He afterwards enabled 
him to procure and fit out his ships, when even the 
mandates of the sovereigns were ineffectual ; and finally 
he embarked in the expedition with his brothers and 
friends, staking life, property, everything, upon the 
event. He had thus entitled himself to participate largely 
in the glory of this immortal enterprise, when, unfor- 
tunately, forgetting for a moment the grandeur of the 
cause and the implicit obedience due to his commander, 
he yielded to the incitements of self-interest, and was 
guilty of that act of insubordination which has cast a 
shade upon his name. Much may be said, however, 
in extenuation of his fault ; his consciousness of having 
rendered great services to the expedition and of pos- 



I 



JOURNEY TO BARCELONA. II3 

scssing property in the ships, and his habits of command, 
wliich rendered him impatient of control. That he was 
a man naturally of generous sentiments and honorable 
ambition is evident from the poignancy with which he 
felt the disgrace drawn upon him by his conduct. A 
mean man would not have fallen a victim to self-upbraid- 
ing for having been convicted of a mean action. His 
story shows how t)ne lapse from duty may counterbalance 
the merits of a thousand services ; how one moment of 
weakness may mar the beauty of a whole life of virtue ; 
and how imjjortant it is for a man, under all circum- 
stances, to be true, not merel}' to others, but to himself. 



CHAPTER XV. 

RECEPTION OF COLUMBUS BY THE SPANISH SOVEREIGNS 
AT BARCELONA. [1493.] 

The journey of Columbus to Barcelona was like the 
progress of a sovereign. Wherever he passed, the sur- 
rounding country poured forth its inhabitants, who lined 
the road and thronged the villages, rending the air with 
acclamations. In the large towns the streets, windows, 
and balconies were filled with spectators, eager to gain a 
sight of him, and of the Indians whom he carried with 
him, who were regarded with as much astonishment as if 
they had been natives of another planet. 

It was about the middle of April that he arrived at 
Barcelona, and the beauty and serenity of the weather, 
in that genial season and favored climate, contributed 
to give splendor to the memorable ceremony of his re- 
ception. As he drew near the place, many of the youth- 
s 



114 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

ful courtiers and cavaliers, followed by a vast concourse 
of the populace, came forth to meet him. His entrance 
into this noble city has been compared to one of those 
triumphs which the Romans were accustomed to decree to 
conquerors. First were paraded the six Indians, painted 
according to their savage fashion, and decorated with 
their ornaments of gold. After these were borne various 
kinds of live parrots, together with stuffed birds and ani- 
mals of unknown species, and rare plants supposed to be 
of precious qualities ; while especial care was taken to 
display the Indian coronets, bracelets, and other decora- 
tions of gold, which might give an idea of the wealth of the 
newly discovered regions. After this followed Columbus, 
on horseback, surrounded by a brilliant cavalcade of Span- 
ish chivalry. The streets were almost impassable from 
the multitude ; the houses, even to the very roofs, were 
crowded with spectators. It seemed as if the public eye 
could not be sated with gazing at these trophies of an 
unknown world, or on the remarkable man by whom it 
had been discovered. There was a sublimity in this event 
that mingled a solemn feeling with the public joy. It was 
considered a signal dispensation of Providence in reward 
for the piety of the sovereigns ; and the majestic and 
venerable appearance of the discoverer, so different from 
the youth and buoyancy that generally accompany roving 
enterprise, seemed in harmony with the grandeur and 
dignity of the achievement. 

To receive him with suitable distinction the sovereigns 
had ordered their throne to be placed in public, under a 
rich canopy of brocade of gold, where they awaited his 
arrival, seated in state, with Prince Juan beside them, and 
surrounded by their principal nobility. Columbus ar- 
rived in their presence, accompanied by a brilliant crowd 
of cavaliers, among whom, we are told, he was conspicuous 



'-'' I \ k 




RECEPTION OV COLUMBUS AT HARCKI.ONA. RETURN KKOM KIRSI 

VOYAGE. 
From nil of J /•rhit. 



ii6 



THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 



for his stately and commanding person, which, with his 
venerable gray hairs, gave him the august appearance of 
a senator of Rome. A modest smile lighted up his coun- 
tenance, showing that he enjoyed the state and glory in 
which he came ; and certainly nothing could be more 
deeply moving to a mind inflamed by noble ambition, 
and conscious of having nobly deserved, than these tes- 
timonials of the admiration and gratitude of a nation, 
or rather of a world. On his approach the sovereigns 
rose, as if receiving a person of the highest rank. Bend- 
ing on his knees, he would have kissed their hands in 
token of vassalage, but they raised him in the most 
gracious manner, and ordered him to scat himself in 
their presence — a rare honor in this proud and punc 
tilious court. 

He now gave an account of the most striking events of 
his voyage, and displayed the various productions and the 
native inhabitants which he had brought from the new 
world. He assured their majesties that all these were 
but harbingers of greater discoveries which he had yet 
to make, which would add realms of incalculable wealth 
to their dominions, and whole nations of proselytes to 
the true faith. 

When Columbus had finished, the king and queen sank 
on their knees, raised their hands to heaven, and, with 
eyes filled with tears of joy and gratitude, poured forth 
thanks and praises to God. All present followed their 
example ; a deep and solemn enthusiasm pervaded that 
splendid assembly and prevented all common acclama- 
tions of triumph. The anthem of Tc Dcum hnidaimis, 
chanted by the choir of the royal chapel, with the melo- 
dious accompaniments of instruments, rose up from the 
midst in a full body of harmony, bearing up, as it were, 
the feelings and thoughts of the auditors to heaven. 



MARK'S OF ROYAL FAVOR. 1 17 

Such was the solemn and pious manner in whicli the 
briUiant court of Spain celebrated this sublime event ; 
offerinij up a grateful tribute of melody and praise, 
and giving glory to God for the discovery of another 
world. 

While the mind of Columbus was excited by this tri- 
umph and teeming with splendid anticipations, his pious 
scheme for the deliverance of the Holy Sepulchre was 
not forgotten. Flushed with the idea of the vast wealth 
that must accrue to himself from his discoveries, he made 
a vow to furnish, within -seven years, an army of four 
thousand horse and fifty thousand foot, for a crusade to 
the Holy Land, and a similar force within the five follow- 
ing years. It is essential to a full knowledge of the char- 
acter and motives of this extraordinary man, that this vis- 
ionary project should be borne in recollection. It shows 
how much his mind was elevated above selfish and mer- 
cenary views, and filled with those devout and heroic 
schemes which, in the time of the crusades, had inflamed 
the thoughts and directed the enterprises of the bravest 
warriors and most illustrious princes. 

During his sojourn at Barcelona the sovereigns took 
every occasion to bestow on Columbus the highest marks 
of personal consideration. He was admitted at all times 
to the ro\-al presence; appeared occasionally with the 
king on horseback, riding on one side of him, while 
Prince Juan rode on the other side ; and the queen de- 
lighted to converse familiarly with him on the subject of 
his voyage. To perpetuate in his family the glor)- of his 
achievement a coat of arms was given him, in which he 
was allowed to quarter the royal arms, the castle and 
lion, with those more particularl)' assigned him, which 
were a group of islands surrounded by u aves ; to these 
arms was afterwards annexed the motto : 



ii8 



THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 



A CASTILLA Y A LEON 
NUEVO MUNDO DIO COLON. 

(To Castile and Leon 
Columbus gave a new world.) 



The pension of thirty crowns, which had been decreed 
by the sovereigns to whomsoever should first discover 



;^^. ' (^^1 




fX^ u 









, '^,>^^'"X 



-^(IljJ'^^4^ 










\ I 



COLUMBUS AND THE EGG. 
Frotn De Bry's " Voyages.'''' 

land, was adjudged to Columbus, for having first seen 
the light on the shore. It is said that the seaman who 
first descried the land was so incensed at being disap- 
pointed of what he deemed his merited reward, that he 
renounced his country and his faith, and, crossing into 
Africa, turned Mussulman ; an anecdote, however, which 
rests on rather questionable authority. 

The favor shown Columbus by the sovereigns in- 



COLUMBUS AND J' I IE EGG. I IQ 

surcd him for a time the caresses of the nobiUt)' ; for, in 
a court, every one is eager to lavish attentions upon tlie 
man " whom the king dcHghtcth to honor." At one of 
the banquets which were given him occurred the well- 
known circumstance of the egg. A shallow courtier 
present, impatient of the honors paid to Columbus, and 
meanly jealous of him as a foreigner, abruptly asked 
him whether he thought that, in case he had not discov- 
ered the Indies, there would have been wanting men in 
Spain capable of the enterprise. To this Columbus made 
no direct reply, but, taking an egg, invited the company 
to make it stand upon one end. Every one attempted 
it, but in vain ; whereupon he struck it upon the table, 
broke one end, and left it standing on the broken part ; 
illustrating, in this simple manner, that when he had once 
siioun the way to the New World nothing was easier than 
to follow it. 

The joy occasioned by this great discovery was not 
confined to Spain ; the whole civilized world was filled 
with wonder and delight. Every one rejoiced in it as an 
event in which he was more or less interested, and which 
opened a new and unbounded field for inquiry and enter- 
prise. Men of learning and science shed tears of joy, 
and those of ardent imaginations indulged in the most 
extravagant and delightful dreams. Notwithstanding all 
this triumph, however, no one had an idea of the real 
importance of the discovery. The opinion of Columbus 
was universally adopted, that Cuba was the end of the 
Asiatic continent, and that the adjacent islands were in 
the Indian Seas. They were called, therefore, the West 
Indies, and as the region thus discovered appeared to 
be of vast and indefinite extent, and existing in a state 
of nature, it received the comprehensive appellation of 
"the New World." 



I20 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

PAPAL BULL OF PARTITION. — PREPARATIONS FOR A 
SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY. [1493.] 

In the midst of their rejoicings the Spanish sovereigns 
lost no time in taking every measure to secure their new 
acquisitions. During the crusades a doctrine had been 
established among the Christian princes, according to 
which the pope, from his supreme authority over all 
temporal things, as Christ's vicar on earth, was consid- 
ered as empowered to dispose of all heathen lands to 
such Christian potentates as would undertake to reduce 
them to the dominion of the Ciiurch, and to introduce 
into them the light of religion. 

Alexander the Sixth, a native of Valencia, and born a 
subject to the crown of Arragon, had recently been ele- 
vated to the papal chair. He was a pontiff whom some 
historians have stigmatized with every vice and crime that 
could disgrace humanity, but whom all have represented 
as eminently able and politic. Ferdinand was well 
aware of his worldly and perfidious character, and en- 
deavored to manage him accordingly. He dispatched 
ambassadors to him, announcing the new discovery as an 
extraordinary triumph of the faith, and avast acquisition 
of empire to the Church. He took care to state that it 
did not in the least interfere with the possessions ceded 
by the Holy Chair to Portugal, all which had been sedu- 
lously avoided ; he supplicated his Holiness, therefore, 
to issue a bull, granting to the crown of Castile dominion 
over all those lands, and such others as might be discov- 
ered in those parts, artfully intimating, at the same time, 



FITTIXG OUT A SECOA'D EX F EDITION. 121 

his determination to maintain possession of them, how- 
ever his Holiness might decide. No difficulty was made 
in granting what was considered but a reasonable and 
modest request, though it is probable that the acquies- 
cence of the worldly-minded pontiff was quickened by the 
insinuation of the politic monarch. 

A bull was accordingly issued, dated May 2, 1493, in- 
vesting the Spanish sovereigns with similar rights, privi- 
leges, and indulgences, in respect to the newly discovered 
regions, to those granted to the Portuguese with respect 
to their African discoveries, and under the same con- 
dition of propagating the Catholic faith. To prevent any 
conflicting claims, however, between the tw(^ powers, the 
famous line of demarcation was established. This was 
an ideal line drawn from the north to the south pole, a 
lumdred leagues west of the Azores and the Cape dc 
Verde Islands. Ail land discovered by the Spanish navi- 
gators to the west of this line was to belong to the crown 
of Castile ; all land discovered in the contrary direction 
was to belong to Portugal. It seems never to have 
occurred to the pontiff that, by pushing their opposite 
discoveries, they might some day or other come again in 
collision, and renew the question of territorial right at 
the antipodes. 

In the meantime the utmost exertions were made to 
fit out the second expedition of Columbus. To insure 
regularity and dispatch in the affairs relative to the New 
World, they were placed under the superintendence of 
Juan Rodriguez de Fonseca, Archdeacon of Seville, who 
successively was promoted to the sees of Badajoz, Pa- 
lencia, and Burgos, and finally ai-)pointed Patriarch of the 
Indies. P'rancisco Pinclo was associated with him as 
treasurer, and Juan de Soria as contador. or comptroller. 
Their office was fixed at Seville, and was the germ of 



122 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

the Royal India house, which afterwards rose to such 
great power and importance. No one was permitted to 
embark for the newly discovered lands without express 
license from either the sovereigns, Columbus, or Fonseca. 
The ignorance of the age as to enlarged principles of 
commerce, and the example of the Portuguese in respect 
to their African possessions, have been cited in excuse 
for the narrow and jealous spirit here manifested ; but it 
always, more or less, influenced the policy of Spain in her 
colonial regulations. 

Another instance of the despotic sway exercised by the 
crown over commerce is manifested in a royal order, em- 
powering Columbus and Fonseca to freight or purchase 
any vessels in the ports of Andalusia, or to take them by 
force, if refused, even though freighted by other persons, 
paying what they should conceive a reasonable compen- 
sation, and compelling their captains and crews to serve 
in the expedition. Equally arbitrary powers were given 
with respect to arms, ammunition, and naval stores. 

As the conversion of the heathen was professed to be 
the grand object of these discoveries, twelve ecclesiastics 
were chosen to accompany the expedition, at the head of 
whom was Bernardo Buyl, or Boyle, a Benedictine monk, 
native of Catalonia, a man of talent and reputed sanctity, 
but a subtle politician, of intriguing spirit. He was ap- 
pointed by the pope his apostolical vicar for the New 
World. These monks were charged by Isabella with the 
spiritual instruction of the Indians, and provided by her 
with all things necessary for the dignified performance 
of the rites and ceremonies of the Church. The queen 
had taken a warm and compassionate interest in the wel- 
fare of the natives, looking upon them as committed by 
Heaven to her peculiar care. She gave general orders 
that they should be treated with the utmost kindness, and 



STRATAGEM OF JOHN THE SECOND. I 23 

enjoined Columbus to inflict signal punishment on all 
Spaniards who should wrong them. The six Indians 
brought by the Admiral to Barcelona were baptized with 
great state and solemnit)-, the king, the queen, and Prince 
Juan officiating as sponsors, and were considered as an 
ofl'ering tt) Heaven of the first fruits of these pagan 
nations. 

The preparations for the expedition were quickened by 
the proceedings of the court of Portugal. John the Sec- 
ond, unfortunately for himself, had among his counsellors 
certain politicians of that short-sighted class who mistake 
craft for wisdom. By adopting their perfidious policy 
he had lost the New World when it was an object of 
honorable enterprise; in compliance with their advice, he 
now sought to retrieve it by subtle stratagem. A large 
armament was fitting out, the avowed object of which 
was an expedition to Africa, but its real destination to 
seize upon the newly discovered countries. To lull sus- 
picion, he sent ambassadors to the Spanish court to con- 
gratulate the sovereigns on the success of Columbus, and 
to amuse them with negotiations respecting their discov- 
eries. Ferdinand had received early intelligence of the 
naval preparations of Portugal, and perfectly understood 
the real purpose of this mission. A keen diplomatic 
game ensued between the sovereigns, wherein the parties 
were playing for a newly discovered world. Questions 
and propositions were multiplied and entangled ; the 
object of each being merely to gain time to dispatch his 
expedition. Ferdinand was successful, and completely 
foiled his adversary; for though John the Second was able 
and intelligent, and had crafty counsellors to advise him, 
yet. whenever deep and subtle policy was requiretl, Fer- 
dinand was master of the game. 

It may be as well to mention, in this place, that the 



124 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

dispute between the two powers, on the subject of their 
discoveries, was finally settled on June 4, 1494, by re- 
moving the imaginary line of partition three hundred 
and seventy leagues west of the Cape de Verde Islands, 
an arrangement which ultimately gave to Portugal the 
possession of the Brazils. 

By the indefatigable exertions of Columbus, aided by 
Fonseca and Soria, a fleet of seventeen sail, large and 
small, were soon in a state of forwardness ; laborers and 
artificers of all kinds were engaged for the projected col- 
ony ; and an ample supply was provided of whatever was 
necessary for its subsistence and defence, for the cultiva- 
tion of the soil, the working of the mines, and the traflfic 
with the natives. 

The extraordinary excitement which prevailed respect- 
ing this expedition, and the magnificent ideas which were 
entertained concerning the New World, drew volunteers 
of all kinds to Seville. It was a romantic and stirring 
age, and the Moorish wars being over, the bold and rest- 
less spirits of the nation were in want of suitable employ- 
ment. Many hidalgos of high rank, oflficers of the royal 
household and Andalusian cavaliers, pressed into the 
expedition, some in the royal service, others at their own 
cost, fancying they were about to enter upon a glorious 
career of arms, in the splendid countries and among the 
semi-barbarous nations of the East. No one had any 
definite idea of the object or nature of the service in 
which he was embarked, or the situation and character of 
the region to which he was bound. Indeed, during this 
fever of the imagination, had sober facts and cold realities 
been presented, they would have been rejected with dis- 
dain, for there is nothing of which the public is more 
impatient than of being disturbed in the indulgence of 
any of its golden dreams. 



DON ALONZO DE OJEDA. 1 25 

Among the noted personages who engaged in the ex- 
pedition was a young cavaHer of a good family, named 
Don yMoiizo de Ojeda, who deserves particular mention. 
He was small, but well proportioned and muscular, of a 
dark but handsome and animated countenance, and pos- 
sessed of incredible strength and agility. He was expert 
at all kinds of weapons, accomplished in all manly and 
warlike exercises, an admirable horseman, and a partisan 
soldier of the highest order. Bold of heart, free of spirit, 
open of hand ; fierce in fight, quick in brawl, but ready 
to forgive and prone to forget an injury ; he was for a 
long time the idol of the rash and roving youth who 
engaged in the early expeditions to the New World, and 
distinguished himself by many perilous enterprises and 
singular exploits. The very first notice we have of him 
is a harebrained feat which he performed in the presence 
of Queen Isabella, in the Giralda or Moorish tower of the 
cathedral of Seville. A great beam projected about 
twenty feet from the tower at an immense height from 
the ground ; along this beam Ojeda walked briskly, with 
as much confidence as if pacing his chamber. When 
arrived at the end, he stood on one leg. with the other 
elevated in the air, then turning nimbly, walked back to 
the tower, placed one foot against it and threw an orange 
to the summit ; which could only have been done by one 
possessed of immense muscular strength. Throughout 
all this exploit the least giddiness, or false step, would 
have precipitated him to the earth and dashed him to 
pieces. 

During the fitting out of the armament, various dis- 
putes occurred between Columbus and the persons ap- 
pointed by the Crown to assist him. Juan de Soria, 
the comptroller, demurred occasionally to the expenses, 
which exceeded the amount originally calculated, and he 



126 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

sometimes refused to sign the accounts of the Admiral. 
The Archdeacon Fonseca, also, disputed the requisitions 
of Columbus for footmen and domestics suitable to his 
state as viceroy. They both received reprimands from 
the sovereigns, and were commanded to study in every- 
thing the wishes of Columbus. From this trifling cause 
we may date the rise of an implacable hostility, ever after 
manifested by Fonseca towards Columbus, which every 
year increased in rancor, and which his official station 
enabled him to gratify in the most invidious manner. 
Enjoying the unmerited favor of the sovereigns, he main- 
tained a control of Indian affairs for about thirty years. 
He must undoubtedly have possessed talents for business, 
to insure such perpetuity of office ; but he was malignant 
and vindictive, and in the gratification of his private re- 
sentments often obstructed the national enterprises, and 
heaped wrongs and sorrows on the heads of the most 
illustrious of the early discoverers. 



CHAPTER XVII. 

DEPARTURE OF COLUMBUS ON HIS SECOND VOYAGE OF 
DISCOVERY. — ARRIVAL AT HISPANIOLA. [1493.] 

The departure of Columbus on his second voyage of 
discovery presented a brilliant contrast to his gloomy 
embarkation at Palos. On the 25th of September, at 
the dawn of day, the Bay of Cadiz was whitened by his 
fleet. There were three large ships of heavy burden, 
and fourteen caravels. The number of persons permitted 
to embark had originally been limited to one thousand, 
but many volunteers were allowed to enlist without pay. 



IN siGirr OF THE axtillks. i-7 

others i^ot on board of tlicsliips by stcaltli, so tluit event- 
ually about fifteen hundred set sail in the fleet. IW\ were 
full of animation, and took a t^ay leave of their friends, 
anticipating a prosperous voyage and triumphant return. 
Instead of being regarded by the [)opulace as devoted 
men, bound u[)on a dark and desperate enterprise, they 
were contcmplatetl with ^x\vy as favored mortals, destined 
to golden regions and delightful climes, where nothing 
but wealth and wonder and enjoyment awaited them. 
Columbus moved among the throng, accompanied by his 
sons, Diego and Fernando, the eldest but a stripling, 
who had come to witness his departure. Wherever he 
passed, every e)-e followed him with admiration, and 
every tongue extolled and blessed him. Before sunrise 
the whole fleet was under way ; the weather was serene 
and propitious, and as the populace watched their parting 
sails brightening in the morning beams, they looked for- 
ward to their joyful return, laden with the treasures of 
the New World. 

Columbus touched at the Canary Islands, where he 
took in wood and water, and procured live stock, plants, 
and seeds, to be propagated in Hispaniola. On the 13th 
of October he lost sight of the island of Ferro, and, 
favored by the trade winds, was borne pleasantly along, 
shaping his course to the southwest, hoping to fall in with 
the islands of the Caribs, of which he had received such 
interesting accounts in his first voyage. At the dawn of 
day of the 2d of November a lofty island was descried 
to the west, to which he gave the name of Dominica, 
from having discovered it on Sunday. As the ships 
moved gently onward other islands rose to sight, one 
after another, covered with forests, and enlivened by 
flights of parrots and otlier tropical birds, while the whole 
air was sweetened by the fragrance of the breezes which 



128 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

passed over them. These were a part of that beautiful 
cluster of islands called the Antilles, which sweep almost 
in a semicircle from the eastern end of Porto Rico to 
the coast of Paria, on the southern continent, forming a 
kind of barrier between the main ocean and the Caribbean 
Sea. 

In one of those islands, to which they gave the name 
of Guadaloupe, the Spaniards first met with the delicious 
anana, or pineapple. They found also, to their surprise, 
the sternpost of a European vessel, which caused much 
speculation, but which, most probably, was the fragment 
of some wreck, borne across the Atlantic by the constant 
current which accompanies the trade winds. What most 
struck their attention, however, and filled them with 
horror, was the sight of human limbs hanging in the 
houses, as if curing for provisions, and others broiling or 
roasting at the fire. Columbus now concluded that he 
had arrived at the islands of the cannibals, or Caribs, the 
objects of his search, and he was confirmed in this belief 
by several captives taken by his men. These Caribs 
were the most ferocious people of these seas, making 
roving expeditions in their canoes to the distance of one 
hundred and fifty leagues; invading the islands, ravaging 
the villages, making slaves of the youngest and hand- 
somest females, and carrying off the men to be killed 
and eaten. 

While at this island a party of eight men, headed by 
Diego Marque, captain of one of the caravels, strayed 
into the woods, and did not return at night to the ships. 
The Admiral was extremely uneasy at their absence, fear- 
ing some evil from the ferocious disposition of the island- 
ers ; on the following day parties were sent in quest of 
them, each with a trumpeter, to sound calls and signals, 
and guns were fired from the ships, but all to no purpose. 










0^ 



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Q 

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I30 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

The parties returned in the evening, wearied by a fruit- 
less search, with many dismal stories of the traces of 
cannibalism they had met with. 

Alonzo de Ojeda, the daring young cavalier who has 
already been mentioned, then set off with forty men into 
the interior of the island, beating up the forests, and 
making the mountains and valleys resound with trumpets 
and firearms, but with no better success. Their search 
was rendered excessively toilsome by the closeness and 
luxuriance of the forests, and by the windings and doub- 
lings of the streams, which were so frequent that Ojeda 
declared he had waded through twenty-six rivers within 
the distance of six leagues. He gave the most enthusias- 
tic accounts of the country. The forests, he said, were 
filled with aromatic trees and shrubs, which he had no 
doubt would be found to produce precious gums and 
spices. 

Several days elapsed without tidings of the stragglers, 
and Columbus, giving them up for lost, was on the point 
of sailing, when they made their way back to the fleet, 
haggard and exhausted. For several days they had been 
bewildered in the mazes of a forest so dense as almost 
to exclude the day. Some of them had climbed trees 
in hopes of getting a sight of the stars, by which to 
govern their course, but the height of the branches shut 
out all view of the heavens. They were almost reduced 
to despair, when they fortunately arrived at the seashore, 
and keeping along it, came to where the fleet was at 
anchor. 

After leaving Guadaloupe Columbus touched at other 
of the Caribbean Islands. At one of them, which he 
named Santa Cruz, a ship's boat, sent on shore for water, 
had an encounter with a canoe, in which were a few 
Indians, two of whom were females. The women fought 



jit 



ENCOUNTER WITH NATIVES. I3I 

as desperately as the men, and plied their bows with 
such vit^or, that one of them sent an arrow through a 
Spanish buckler, and wounded the soldier who bore it. 
The canoe being run down and overset, they continued 
to fight while in the water, gathering themselves occa- 
sionally on sunken rocks, and managing their weapons as 
dexterously as if they had been on firm ground. It was 
with the utmost difificulty they could be overpowered and 
taken. When brought on board the ships, the Spaniards 
could not but admire their untamed spirit and fierce de- 
meanor. One of the females, from the reverence with 
which the rest treated her, appeared to be their queen ; 
she was accompanied by h^ son. a young man strongly 
made, with a haughty and frowning brow, who had been 
wounded in the combat. One of the Indians had been 
transpierced by a lance, and died of the wound ; and one 
of the Spaniards died a day or two afterwards, of a wound 
received from a poisoned arrow. 

Pursuing his voyage, Columbus passed by a cluster of 
small islands, to which he gave the name of The Eleven 
Thousand Virgins, and arrived one evening in sight of 
a great island, covered with fine forests, and indented 
with havens. It was called by the natives Boriquen, but 
he named it San Juan Bautista ; it is the same since 
known by the name of Porto Rico. After running for 
a whole day along its beautiful coast, and touching at 
a bay at the west end, lie arrived, on the 22d of Novem- 
ber, off the eastern extremity of Hayti, or Ilispaniola. 
The greatest animation prevailed throughout the armada 
at the thoughts of soon arriving at the end of their vo}-- 
age, while those who had accompanied Columbus in the 
preceding expedition looked forward to meeting with the 
comrades they had left behind, and to a renewal of pleas- 
ant scenes among the groves of Hayti. Passing by the 








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FEARS FOR LA NAVIDAD. 133 

gulf of Las Flcchcs, where the skirmish had occurred 
with the natives, Columbus set on shore one of the young 
Indians who had been taken from the neighborhood, and 
had accompanied him to Spain. He dismissed him finely 
appareled and loaded with trinkets, anticipating favorable 
effects from the accounts he would be able to give to his 
countrymen of the power and munificence of the Span- 
iards, but he never heard anything of him more. Only 
one Indian of those who had been to Spain remained 
in the fleet, a young Lucayan, native of the island of 
Guanahani, who had been baptized at Barcelona, and 
named after the Admiral's brother, Diego Colon ; he con- 
tinued always faithful and devoted to the Spaniards. 

Continuing along the coast, Columbus paused in the 
neighborhood of Monte Christi, to fix upon a place for 
a settlement, in the neighborhood of a stream said to 
abound in gold, to which, in his first voyage, he had 
given the name of Rio del Oro. Here, as the seamen 
were ranging the shore, they found the bodies of three 
men and a boy, one of whom had a rope of Spanish 
grass about his neck, and another, from having a beard, 
was evidently a European. The bodies were in a state 
of decay, but bore the marks of violence. This spectacle 
gave rise to many gloomy forebodings, and Columbus 
hastened forward to La Navidad, full of apprehensions 
that some disaster had befallen Diego de Arana and his 
companions. 



134 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

FATE OF THE FORTRESS OF LA NAVIDAD. — TRANSAC- 
TIONS AT THE HARBOR. [1493.] 

On the evening of the 27th of November Columbus 
anchored opposite to the harbor of La Navidad, about a 
league from the land. As it was too dark to distinguish 
objects, he ordered two signal guns to be fired. The 
report echoed along the shore, but there was no gun, or 
light, or friendly shout in reply. Several hours passed 
away in the most dismal suspense; about midnight, a 
number of Indians came off in a canoe and inquired for 
the Admiral, refusing to come on board until they should 
see him personally. Columbus showed himself at the 
side of his vessel, and a light being held up, his counte- 
nance and commanding person were not to be mistaken. 
The Indians now entered the ship without hesitation. 
One of them was a cousin of the cacique Guacanagari, 
and the bearer of a present from him. The first inquiry 
of Columbus was concerning the garrison. He was in- 
formed that several of the Spaniards had died of sick- 
ness, others had fallen in a quarrel among themselves, 
and others had removed to a different part of the island ; 
that Guacanagari jiad been assailed by Caonabo, the 
fierce cacique of the golden mountains of Cibao, who had 
wounded him in combat and burnt his village, and that 
he remained, ill of his wound, in a neighboring hamlet. 

Melancholy as were these tidings, they relieved Colum- 
bus from the painful suspicion of treachery on the part 
of the cacique and people in whom he had confided, 
and gave him hopes of finding some of the scattered gar- 



FATE OF LA N AVID AD. 



135 



rison still alive. The Indians were well entertained, and 
gratified with presents ; on departing they promised to 
return in the morning with Guacanagari. The morning, 
however, dawned and passed away, and the day declined 
without the promised visit from the chieftain. There was 
a silence and an air of desertion about the whole neigh- 
borhood. Not a canoe appeared in the harbor, not an 
Indian hailed them from the land, nor was there any 










KINDINC RUINS OK LA NAVniAD. 
Based on old />rints. 



smoke to be seen rising from among the groves. Towards 
tlie evening a boat was sent on shore to reconnoitre. The 
crew hastened to the place where the fortress had been 
erected. They found it burnt and demolished ; the pali- 
sadoes beaten down, and the ground strewed with broken 
chests, spoiled provisions, and the fragments of European 
garments. Not an Indian ai^proached them, and if they 
caught a sight of any lurking among the trees, the\' van- 
ished on finding themselves perceived. Meeting no one 



136 



THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 



from whom they could obtain information concerning this 
melancholy scene, they returned to the ships with de- 
jected hearts. 

Columbus, himself, landed on the following morning, 
and repairing to the ruins of the fortress, caused diligent 
search to be made for the dead bodies of the garrison. 
Cannon and arquebuses were discharged, to summon 
any survivors that might be in the neighborhood, but 

none made their appearance. 
Columbus had ordered Arana 
and his fellow officers, in case 
of sudden danger, to bury all 
the treasure they might pos- 
sess, or throw it in the well of 
the fortress. The well was there- 
fore searched, and excavations 
were made among the ruins, but 
no gold was to be found. Not 
far from the fortress, the bodies 
of eleven Europeans were found 
buried in different places, and 
they appeared to have been for 




some time in the ground. In 



ARQUEBUSIER. 
From De B?y^s ^^I'oya^es. 



the houses of a neighboring ham- 
let were found several European 
articles which could not have 
been procured by barter. This 
gave suspicions that the fortress had been plundered by 
the Indians in the vicinity; while, on the other hand, the 
village of Guacanagari was a mere heap of burnt ruins, 
which showed that he and his people had been involved 
in the same disaster with the garrison. Columbus was 
for some time perplexed by these contradictory docu- 
ments of a disastrous story. At length a communication 



FACTIONS IN THE FORTRESS. 137 

was effected with some of the natives; their evident 
apprehensions were dispelled, and by the aid of tlie 
interpreter the fate of the i^arrison was more minutely 
ascertained. 

It appeared that Columbus had scarcely set sail for 
Spain when all his counsels and commands faded from 
the minds of those who remained behind. Instead of 
cultivating the good-will of the natives, they endeavored, 
by all kinds of wrongful means, to get possession of their 
golden ornaments and other articles of value, and seduced 
from them their wives and daughters. Fierce brawls 
occurred between themselves about their ill-gotten spoils, 
or the favors of the Indian women. In vain did Diego 
de Arana interpose his authority ; all order, all subordi- 
nation, all unanimity, were at an end ; factions broke out 
among them, and at length ambition arose to complete 
the destruction of this mimic empire. Pedro Gutierrez, 
and Rodrigo de Escobedo, whom Columbus had left as 
lieutenants, to succeed Arana in case of accident, now as- 
pired to an equal share in the authority. In the quarrels 
which succeeded a Spaniard was killed, and Gutierrez 
and Escobedo, having failed in their object, withdrew 
from the fortress, with nine of their adherents, and a 
number of women, and set off for the mountains of Ci- 
bao, with the idea of procuring immense wealth from its 
golden mines. These mountains were in the territories 
of the famous Caonabo, called by the Spaniards the Lord 
of the Golden House. He was a Carib by birth, and had 
come an adventurer to the island, but possessing the 
fierceness and enterprise of his nation, had gained such 
an ascendency over these simple and unwarlike people 
as to make himself their most powerful cacique. The 
wonderful accounts of the white men had reached him 
among his mountains, and he had the shrewdness to per- 



138 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

ceive that his own consequence must decline before such 
formidable intruders. The departure of Columbus had 
given him hopes that their intrusion would be but tem- 
porary ; the discords of those who remained increased his 
confidence. No sooner, therefore, did Gutierrez and 
Escobedo, with their companions, appear in his domin- 
ions than he seized them and put them to death. He 
then assembled his subjects, and traversing the forests 
with profound secrecy, arrived in the vicinity of La Na- 
vidad without being discovered. But ten men remained 
in the fortress with Arana ; the rest were living in careless 
security in the village. In the dead of the night Cao- 
nabo and his warriors burst upon the place with frightful 
yells, and set fire to the fortress and village. The Span- 
iards were completely taken by surprise. Eight were 
driven to the seaside, and rushing into the waves, were 
drowned ; the rest were massacred. Guacanagari and 
his subjects fought faithfully in defence of their guests, 
but, not being of a warlike character, they were easily 
routed. The cacique was wounded in the conflict, and 
his village burnt to the ground. 

Such is the story of the first European establishment 
in the New World. It presents in a diminutive compass 
an epitome of the gross vices which degrade civilization, 
and the grand political errors which sometimes subvert 
the mightiest empires. All law and order were relaxed 
by licentiousness ; public good was sacrificed to private 
interest and passion ; the community was convulsed by 
divers factions, until the whole body politic was shaken 
asunder by two aspiring demagogues, ambitious of the 
command of a petty fortress in a wilderness, and the 
supreme control of eight and thirty men ! 

This account of the catastrophe of the fortress satisfied 
Columbus of the good faith of Guacanagari ; but circum- 



ENTERTAIXS A CACIQUE. 139 

stances concurred to keep alive the suspicions enter- 
tained of him by the Spaniards. Columbus [)aiil a visit 
to the chieftain, whom he found in a nei^^hborint^ village, 
sufferini^ apparently from a bruise which he had received 
in the leg, from a stone. Several of his subjects, also, 
exhibited recent wounds, which had evidently been 
made by Indian weapons. The cacique was greatly agi- 
tated at seeing Columbus, and deplored with tears the 
misfortunes of the garrison. At the request of the Ad- 
miral, his leg was examined by a Spanish surgeon, but 
no sign of a wound was to be seen, though he shrunk 
with pain whenever the leg was touched. As some time 
iiail elapsed since the battle, the external bruise might 
have disappeared, while a tenderness might remain in the 
part. Many of the Spaniards, however, who had not wit- 
nessed the generous conduct of the cacique in the first 
voyage, looked upon his lameness as feigned, and the 
whole story of the battle a fabrication, to conceal his 
perfidy. Columbus persisted in believing him innocent, 
and invited him on board of his ships, where the cacique 
was greatly astonished at the wonders of art and nature 
brought from the Old World. What most amazed him 
was the horses. He had never seen any but the most 
diminutive quadrupeds, and gazed with aue at the 
grandeur of these noble animals, their great strength, ter- 
rific appearance, yet perfect docility. The sight of the 
Carib prisoners also increased his idea of the prowess of 
the Spaniards, having the hardihood to invade these 
terrible beings, even in their strongholds, while he could 
scarcely look upon them without shuddering, though in 
chains. 

On board the ship were several Indian women who 
had been captives to the Caribs. Among them was one 
distinguished above her companions by a certain loftiness 



HO THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

of demeanor ; she had been much noticed and admired 
by the Spaniards, who had given her the name of Cata- 
h'na. She particularly attracted the attention of the 
cacique, who is represented to have been of an amorous 
complexion. He spoke to ' her repeatedly, with great 
gentleness of tone and manner, pity in all probability 
being mingled with his admiration, for, though rescued 
from the hands of the Caribs, she and her companions 
were still, in a manner, captives on board of the ship. 

A collation was served up for the entertainment of 
Guacanagari, and Columbus endeavored by kindness and 
hospitality to revive their former cordial intercourse, but 
it was all in vain ; the cacique was evidently distrust- 
ful and ill at ease. The suspicions of his ^ guilt gained 
ground among the Spaniards. Father Boyle, in partic- 
ular, regarded him with an evil eye, and advised Colum- 
bus, now that he had him securely on board of his ship, 
to detain him prisoner; but Columbus rejected the 
counsel of the crafty friar, as contrary to sound policy 
and honorable faith. The cacique, however, accustomed 
in his former intercourse with the Spaniards to meet on 
every side with faces beaming with gratitude and friend- 
ship, could not but perceive the altered looks of cold 
suspicion and secret hostility ; notwithstanding the frank 
and cordial hospitality of the admiral, therefore, he soon 
took leave and returned to land. 

On the following day there was a mysterious movement 
and agitation among the natives on shore. The brother 
of Guacanagari cam.e on board, under pretext of barter- 
ing a quantity of gold, but, as it afterwards proved, to 
bear a message to Catalina, the Indian female, whose 
beauty had captivated the heart of the cacique, and 
whom, with a kind of native gallantry, he wished to 
deliver from bondage. 



M/SFOK TUNES OF THE SPANIARDS. I4I 

At midni<;ht, when tlic crew were buried in their first 
sleep, Catalina awakened her fennale companions, antl 
proposed a bold attempt to gain their liberty. The ship 
was anchored full three miles from the shore, and the sea 
was rough ; but these island women were accustomed 
to buffet with the waves, and the water was to them al- 
most as their natural element. Letting themselves down 
silently from the side of the vessel, they trusted to the 
strength of their arms, and swam bravely for the shore. 
They were overheard by the watch, the alarm was given, 
the boats were manned and gave chase in the direction of 
a light blazing on the shore, an evident beacon for the 
fugitives. Such was the vigor of these sea nymphs, how- 
ever, that they reached the land before they were over- 
taken. Four were captured on the beach, but the heroic 
Catalina, with the rest of her companions, escaped in safe- 
ty to the forest. Guacanagari disappeared on the same day 
with all his household and effects, and it was supposed 
had taken refuge, with his island beauty, in the interior. 
His desertion gave redoubled force to the doubts here- 
tofore entertained, and he was generally stigmatized as 
the perfidious destroyer of the garrison. 



CHAPTER XIX. 

FOUNDING OF THE CITY OF ISABELLA.— DISCONTENTS 
OF THE PEOPLE. [1493.] 

The misfortunes which had befallen the Spaniards, 
both by sea and land, in the vicinity of this harbor, threw 
a gloom over the place, and it was considered by the 
superstitious mariners as under some baneful influence, 



142 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

or malignant star. The situation, too, was low, moist, 
and unhealthy, and there was no stone in the neighbor- 
hood for building. Columbus searched, therefore, for a 
more favorable place for his projected colony, and fixed 
upon a harbor about ten leagues east of Monte Christi, 
protected on one side by a natural rampart of rocks, and 
on the other by an impervious forest, with a fine plain in 
the vicinity, watered by two rivers. A great inducement, 
also, for settling here, was, that it was at no great dis- 
tance from the mountains of Cibao, where the gold mines 
were situated. 

The troops and the various persons to be employed in 
the colony were immediately disembarked, together with 
the stores, arms, ammunition, and all the cattle and live 
stock. An encampment was formed on the margin of 
the plain, round a sheet of water, and the plan of a town 
traced out, and the houses commenced. The public edi- 
fices, such as a church, a storehouse, and a residence 
for the Admiral, were constructed of stone, the rest of 
wood, plaster, reeds, and such other materials as could 
be readily procured. Thus was founded the first Chris- 
tian city of the New World, to which Columbus gave the 
name of Isabella, in honor of his royal patroness. 

For a time every one exerted himself with zeal; but 
maladies soon began to make their appearance. Many 
had suffered from sea-sickness, and the long confinement 
on board of the ships ; others, from the exposures on the 
land, before houses could be built for their reception, and 
from the exhalations of a hot and moist climate, dense 
natural forests, and a new, rank soil, so trying to con- 
stitutions accustomed to a dry climate, and open, culti- 
vated country. The important and hurried labors of 
building the city and cultivating the earth bore hard upon 
the Spaniards, many of whom were unaccustomed to 




THt liUILDING OK A CITY, OK KOKT ISAIilCI.I.A. 
From Columbus's /hit Utter. 



144 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

labor, and needed repose and relaxation. The maladies of 
the mind also mingled with those of the body. Many, as 
has been shown, had embarked in the enterprise with the 
most visionary and romantic expectations. What, then, 
was their surprise at finding themselves surrounded by 
impracticable forests, doomed to toil painfully for mere 
subsistence, and to attain every comfort by the severest 
exertion ! As to gold, which they had expected to find 
readily and in abundance, it was to be procured only in 
small quantities, and by patient and persevering labor. 
All these disappointments sank deep into their hearts, 
their spirits flagged as their golden dreams melted away, 
and the gloom of despondency aided the ravages of dis- 
ease. Columbus himself was overcome by the fatigues, 
anxieties, and exposures he had suffered, and for several 
weeks was confined to his bed by severe illness ; but his 
energetic mind rose superior to the maladies of the body, 
and he continued to give directions about the building of 
the city, and the general concerns of the expedition. 

The greater part of the ships were ready to return to 
Spain, but he had no treasure to send with them. The 
destruction of the garrison had defeated all his hopes of 
finding a quantity of gold amassed and ready to be sent 
to the sovereigns. It was necessary for him to do some- 
thing, however, before the vessels sailed, to keep up the 
reputation of his discoveries, and justify his own magnifi- 
cent representations. The region of the mine lay at a 
distance of but three or four days' journey, directly in the 
interior; the very name of the cacique, Caonabo, signify- 
ing "the lord of the golden house," seemed to indicate 
the wealth of his dominions. Columbus determined, 
therefore, to send an expedition to explore them. If 
the result should answer to the accounts given by the 
Indians, he would be able to send home the fleet with 



GOLD HUNTING. 145 

confidence, bearing tidings of the discovery of the golden 
mountains of Cibao. 

The person chosen for this enterprise was Alonzo dc 
Ojeda, who delighted in all service of an adventurous 
nature. lie set out from the harbor early in January, 
1494, accompanied by a small number of well-armed 
men, several of them young and spirited cavaliers like 
himself. They crossed the first range of mountains by 
a narrow and w inding Indian path, and descended into 
a vast plain, covered with noble forests, and studded 
with villages and hamlets. The inhabitants overwhelmed 
them with hospitality, and delayed them in their journey 
by their kindness. They had to ford many rivers, also, 
so that they were six days in reaching the chain of moun- 
tains which locked up, as it were, the golden region of 
Cibao. Here they saw ample signs of natural wealth. 
The sands of the mountain streams glittered with parti- 
cles of gold ; in some places they picked up large speci- 
mens of virgin ore, and stones streaked and richly 
impregnated with it. Ojeda, himself, found a mass of 
rude gokl in one c>f the brooks, weighing nine ounces. 
The little band returned to the harbor, \\ ith enthusiastic 
accounts of the golden promise of these mountains. A 
young cavalier, named Gorvalan, who had been sent to 
explore a different tract of countr\', returned with similar 
reports. Encouraged by these good tidings, Columbus 
lost no time in dispatching twelve of the ships, under 
the commanil of Antonio de Torres, retaining only five 
for the service of the colony. By these ships he sent 
home specimens of the gold found among the mountains 
of Cibao, and of all fruits antl plants of unknown and 
valuable species, together with the Carib captives, I0 be 
instructed in the Spanish language and the Christian 
faith, that they might serve as interpreters, and aid in the 
10 



146 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

conversion of their countrymen. He wrote, also, a san- 
guine account of the two expeditions into the interior, 
and expressed a confident expectation, as soon as the 
health of himself and his people would permit, of pro- 
curing and making abundant shipments of gold, spices, 
and valuable drugs. He extolled the fertility of the soil, 
evinced in the luxuriant growth of the sugar cane, and of 
various European grains and vegetables ; but entreated 
supplies of provisions for the immediate wants of the 
colony, as their stores were nearly exhausted, and they 
could not accustom themselves to the diet of the natives. 

Among many sound and salutary suggestions in this 
letter there was one of a pernicious tendency. In his 
anxiety to lighten the expenses of the colony, and pro- 
cure revenue to the Crown, he recommended that the 
natives of the Caribbean Islands, being cannibals, and 
ferocious invaders of their peaceful neighbors, should be 
captured and sold as slaves, or exchanged with merchants 
for live stock and other necessary supplies. He observed 
that, by transmitting these infidels to Europe, where they 
would have the benefits of Christian instruction, there 
would be so many souls snatched from perdition, and so 
many converts gained to the faith. Such is the strange 
sophistry by which upright men may deceive themselves, 
and think they are obeying the dictates of their con- 
science, when, in fact, they are but listening to the 
incitements of their interest. It is but just to add 
that the sovereigns did not accord with him in bis 
ideas, but ordered that the Caribs should be treated like 
the rest of the islanders ; a command which emanated 
from the merciful heart of Isabella, who ever showed 
herself the benign protectress of the Indians. 

When the fleet arrived in Europe, though it brought 
no gold, yet the tidings from Columbus and his com- 



SF.D/T/O.y AAfOA'C 77/ F. CO/.OA'ISTS. 1 47 

panions kept up the popular excitement. The sordid 
calcuhitions of petty spirits were as yet overruled by the 
enthusiasm of generous minds. There was something 
wonderfully grand in the idea of introducing new races 
of animals ami [)lants. of building cities, extending col- 
onics, and sowing the seeds of civilization and of en- 
lightened empire in this beautiful but savage world. It 
struck the minds of learned and classical men with ad- 
miration, filling them with pleasant dreams and reveries, 
and seeming to realize the poetical pictures of the olden 
time ; of Saturn, Ceres, and Triptolcmus, travelling about 
the earth to spread new inventions among mankind, and 
of the colonizing enterprises of the Phcnicians. 

But while such sanguine anticipations were indulged 
in Europe, murmuring and sedition began to prevail 
among the colonists. Disappointed in their hopes of 
wealth, disgusted with the labors imposed upon them, 
and appalled by the prevalent maladies, they looked with 
horror upon the surrounding wilderness, and became 
impatient to return to Spain. Their discontents were 
increased by one Firmin Cado, a wrong-headed and cap- 
tious man, who had come out as assaycr and purifier of 
metals, but whose ignorance in his art equaled his ob- 
stinacy of opinion. He pertinaciously insisted that there 
was scarcely any gold in the island, and that all the speci- 
mens brought by the natives had been accumulated in 
the course of several generations, and been handed down 
from father to son in their families. 

At length a conspiracy was formed, headed b\' Bcrnal 
Diaz de Pisa, the comptroller, to take advantage of the 
illness of Columbus, to seize upon the ships remaining in 
the harbor, and to return to Spain ; where they thought 
it would be easy to justify their conduct by accusing Co- 
lumbus of gross deceptions and exaggerations concern- 



148 THE LIFE OF COl.UA/BUS. 

ing the countries he had discovered. Fortunately, Co- 
lumbus received information in time, and arrested the 
ringleaders of the conspiracy. Bernal Diaz was confined 
on board of one of the ships, to be sent to Spain for 
trial; and several of the inferior mutineers were pun- 
ished, but not with the severity their ofTence deserved. 
This was the first time Columbus exercised the right of 
punishing delinquents in his new government, and it im- 
mediately caused a great clamor against him. Already 
the disadvantage of being a foreigner was clearly mani- 
fested. He had no natural friends to rally round him ; 
whereas the mutineers had connections in Spain, friends 
in the colony, and met with sympathy in every discon- 
tented mind. 



CHAPTER XX. 

EXPEDITION OF COLUMBUS INTO THE INTERIOR OF 

HISPANIOLA. [1494.] 

As the surest means of quieting the murmurs and 
rousing the spirits of his people, Columbus, as soon as 
his health permitted, made preparations for an expedi- 
tion to the mountains of Cibao, to explore the country, 
and establish a post in the vicinity of the mines. Placing 
his brother Diego in command at Isabella, during his ab- 
sence, and taking with him every person in health that 
could be spared from the settlement, and all the cavalry, 
he departed, on the 12th of March, at the head of four 
hundred men, armed with helmets and corselets, with 
arquebuses, lances, swords, and crossbows, and followed 
by laborers and miners, and a multitude of the neigh- 



DErARTCRl: FOR THE .V0UX7.1IXS OF C//!AO. 149 

boring Indians. After traversing a plain and fording 
two rivers, they encamped in tlie evening at the foot of 
a wild and rocky pass of the mountains. 

The ascent of this defile presented formidable difficul- 
ties \.o the little army, which was encumbered with vari- 
ous munitions and willi mining implements. There was 
nothing but an Indian footpath, winding among rocks 
and precipices, and the entangled vegetation of a tropical 
forest. A number of high-spirited young cavaliers, there- 
fore, threw themselves in the advance, and aiding the 
laborers and pioneers, and stimulating them with prom- 
ises of liberal reward, they soon constructed the first road 
formed by Europeans in the New World, which, in com- 
memoration of their generous zeal, was called El Puerto 
dc los Hidalgos, or the Pass of the Hidalgos. 

(^n the following day the army toiled up this steep 
defile, and arrived where the gorge of the mountain 
opened into the interior. Here a glorious prospect burst 
upon their view. Below lay a vast and delicious plain, 
enameled with all the rich variety of tropical vegetation. 
The magnificent forests presented that mingled beauty 
and majesty of vegetable forms peculiar to these gener- 
ous climates. Palms of prodigious height and spread- 
ing mahogany trees towered from amid a wilderness of 
variegated foliage. Universal freshness and verdure were 
maintained by numerous streams which meandered gleam- 
ing througli the deep bosom of tlic woodland, while 
various villages and hamlets seen among the trees, ami 
the smoke of others rising out of the forests, gave signs 
of a numerous population. The luxuriant landscape ex- 
tended as far as the eye could reach, until it appeared to 
melt away and mingle with the horizon. The S[)aniar(.ls 
gazed with rajiture upon this soft, voluptuous country, 
which seemed to realize their ideas of a terrestrial para- 



ISO THE LIFE OE COLUMBUS. 

dise, and Columbus, struck with its vast extent, gave it 
the name of Vega Real, or Royal Plain. 

Having descended the rugged pass, the army issued 
upon the plain in military array, with great clangor of 
warlike instruments. When the Indians beheld this band 
of warriors, glittering in steel, emerging from the moun- 
tains with prancing steeds and floating banners, and 
heard, for the first time, their rocks and forests echoing 
to the din of drum and trumpet, they were bewildered 
with astonishment. The horses especially excited their 
terror and admiration. They at first supposed the rider 
and his steed to be one animal, and nothing could exceed 
their surprise on seeing the horsemen dismount. 

On the approach of the army the Indians generally fled 
with terror, but their fears were soon dispelled ; they then 
absolutely retarded the march of the army by their kind- 
ness and hospitality, nor did they appear to have any idea 
of receiving a recompense for the provisions they fur- 
nished in abundance. The untutored savage, in almost 
every part of the world, scorns to make a traffic of hos- 
pitality. 

For two or three days they continued their march 
across this noble plain, where every scene presented the 
luxuriance of wild, uncivilized nature. They crossed 
two large rivers : one, called the Yagui by the natives, 
was named by the Admiral the River of Reeds; to the 
other he gave the name of Rio Verde, or Green River, 
from the verdure and freshness of its banks. At length 
they arrived at a chain of lofty and rugged mountains 
which formed a kind of barrier to the vega, and amidst 
which lay the golden region of Cibao. On entering this 
vaunted country the whole character of the scenery 
changed, as if nature delighted in contrarieties, and dis- 
played a miser-like poverty of exterior when teeming 



SEARCH FOR GOLD. I5I 

with hitklcn treasures. Instead of tlie soft, luxuriant 
landscape of the vcga, nothing was to be seen but chains 
of rocky and sterile mountains, scantily clothed with 
pines. The very name of the country bespoke the nat- 
ure of the soil, Cibao, in the language of the natives, 
signif}'ing a stone. But what consoled the Spaniards for 
the asperity of the soil was to observe particles of gold 
among the sands of the streams, which they regarded as 
earnests of the wealth locked up in the mountains. 

Choosing a situation in a neighborhood that seemed to 
abound in mines, Columbus began to build a fortress, to 
which he gave the name of St. Thomas, intended as a 
pleasant, though pious, reproof of Firmin Cado and his 
doubting adherents, who had refused to believe that the 
island contained gold until they should behold it with 
their eyes and touch it with their hands. 

While the Admiral remained superintending the build- 
ing of the fortress he dispatched a young cavalier of 
Madrid, named Juan de Luxan, with a small band of 
armed men to explore the province. Luxan returned 
after a few days, with the most satisfactory accounts. 
He found many parts of Cibao more capable of cultiva- 
tion than those that had been seen by the Admiral. The 
forests appeared to abound with spices; the trees were 
overrun with vines bearing clusters of grapes of pleasant 
flavor; while every valley and glen had its stream, yield- 
ing more or less gold, and showing the universal preva- 
lence of that precious metal. 

The natives of the surrounding country likewise flocked 
to the fortress of St. Thomas, bringing gold to exchange 
for European trinkets. One old man brought two pieces 
of virgin ore weighing an ounce, and thought himself 
richly repaid on receiving a hawk's bell. Ow remarking 
the admiration of the Admir.U at the size of these speci- 



152 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

mens, he assured him that in his country, which lay at 
half a day's distance, pieces were found as big as an 
orange. Others spoke of masses of ore as large as the 
head of a child, to be met with in their neighborhood. 
As usual, however, these golden tracts were always in 
some remote valley, or along some rugged and seques- 
tered stream ; and the wealthiest spot was sure to lie at 
the greatest distance — for the land of promise is ever 
beyond the mountain. 



CHAPTER XXI. 

CUSTOMS AND CHARACTERISTICS OF THE NATIVES. 

The fortress of St. Thomas being nearly completed, 
Columbus left it in command of Pedro Margarite, a native 
of Catalonia, and knight of the order of Santiago, with a 
garrison of fifty-six men, and set out on his return to 
Isabella. He paused for a time in the vega to establish 
routes between the fortress and the harbor; during 
which time he sojourned in the villages, that his men 
might become accustomed to the food of the natives, 
and that a mutual good-will might grow up between 
them. 

Columbus had already discovered the error of one of 
his opinions concerning these islanders, formed during 
his first voyage. They were not so entirely pacific, nor 
so ignorant of warlike arts, as he had imagined. The 
casual descents of the Caribs had compelled the inhab- 
itants of the seacoast to acquaint themselves with the 
use of arms; and Caonabo had introduced something 
of his own warlike spirit into the centre of the island. 




-1 



y. 

< 



o is 

05 



^ 






154 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

Yet, generally speaking, the habits of the people were 
mild and gentle. Their religious creed was of a vague 
yet simple nature. They believed in one Supreme Being, 
who inhabited the sky, who was immortal, omnipotent, 
and invisible, to whom they ascribed an origin, having 
had a mother, but no father. They never addressed 
their worship directly to him, but to inferior deities, 
called zemes, a kind of messengers or mediators. Each 
cacique, each family, and each individual had a particu- 
lar zemi as a tutelary or protecting genius ; whose image, 
generally of a hideous form, was placed about their 
houses, carved on their furniture, and sometimes bound 
to their foreheads when they went to battle. They 
believed their zemes to be transferable, with all their 
beneficial powers ; they, therefore, often stole them from 
each other, and when the Spaniards arrived, hid them 
away, lest they should be taken by the strangers. 

They believed that these zemes presided over every 
object in nature. Some had sway over the elements, 
causing sterile or abundant years, sending whirlwinds and 
tempests of rain and thunder, or sweet and temperate 
breezes and prolific showers. Some governed the seas 
and forests, the springs and fountains, like the nereids, 
the dryads, and satyrs of antiquity. They gave success 
in hunting and fishing ; they guided the mountain streams 
into safe channels, leading them to meander peacefully 
through the plains ; or, if incensed, they caused them to 
burst forth into floods and torrents, inundating and laying 
waste the valleys. 

The Indians were well acquainted with the medicinal 
properties of trees and vegetables. Their butios, or 
priests, acted as physicians, curing diseases with simples, 
but making use of many mysterious rites ; chanting and 
burning a light in the chamber of the patient, and pre- 



FESTIVALS OF THE NATIVES. 



•55 



tending to exorcise the malady, and to send it to the sea 
or to tlic mountain. They practiced also many decep- 
tions, making the idols to speak with oracular voice, to 
enforce the orders of the caciques. 

Once a year, each cacique held a festival in honor of 
his zcmi, when his subjects formed a procession to the 










^/VV^-.^y,/ , - '^<4*<r'^?^" 






^vv.i:^.-v.>^ 



CACIQUE ANIJ ATTENDANTS. 
Kcdra'wn from Montani's '"America. 



temple, the married men and women decorated with 
their most precious ornaments ; the young females en- 
tirel}' naked, carrying baskets of cakes, ornamented with 
flowers, and singing as they advanced, while the cacique 
beat time on an Indian drum. After the cakes had been 
offered to the zcmi they were broken and distributed 
among the people, to be preserved in their houses as 



156 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

charms against all adverse accidents. The young females 
then danced to the cadence of songs in praise of their 
deities, and of the heroic actions of their ancient ca- 
ciques; and the whole ceremony concluded by a grand 
invocation to the zemi to watch over and protect the 
nation. 

The natives believed that their island of Hayti was 
the earliest part of creation, and that the sun and moon 
issued out of one of its caverns to give light to the uni- 
verse. This cavern still exists near Cape Francois, and 
the hole in the roof may still be seen from whence the 
Indians believed the sun and moon had sallied forth to 
take their places in the sky. It was consecrated as a 
kind of temple ; two idols were placed in it, and the 
walls were decorated with green branches. In times of 
great drought the natives made pilgrimages and proces- 
sions to it, with songs and dances, and offerings of fruit 
and flowers. 

They ascribed to another cavern the origin of the hu- 
man race, believing that the large men issued forth from 
a great aperture, but the little men from a little cranny. 
For a long time they dared venture from the cavern 
only in the night, for the sight of the sun was fatal to 
them, producing wonderful transformations. One of their 
number, having lingered on a river's bank, where he was 
fishing, until the sun had risen, was turned into a bird 
of melodious note, which yearly, about the time of his 
transformation, is heard singing plaintively in the night, 
bewailing, his misfortune. This is the same bird which 
Columbus mistook for a nightingale. 

When the human race at length emerged from the 
cave, they for some time wandered about disconsolately 
without females, until, coming near a small lake, they 
beheld certain animals among the branches of the trees 



■JRAD/I JONS OF Till: NATIVES. 1 57 

wliich proved to be women. On attempting to catch 
them, however, they were found to be as slippery as 
eels, so that it v/as impossible to hold them, until tliey 
employed certain men whose hands had been rendered 
rough by a kind of leprosy. These succeeded in secur- 
ing four of them ; and from these slippery females the 
world was peopled. 

Like most savage nations, they had a tradition con- 
cerning the deluge, equally fanciful with the preceding. 
They said that there once lived in llie island a mighty 
cacique, whose only son conspiring against him, he slew 
him. He afterwards preserved his bones in a gourd, as 
was the custom of the natives with the remains of their 
friends. On a subsequent day, the cacique ami his wife 
opened the gourd to contemplate the bones of their son, 
when, to their surprise, several fish leaped out. Upon 
this the discreet cacique closed the gourd and placed it 
on the top of his hut, boasting that he had the sea shut 
up within it, and could have fish whenever he pleased. 
Four brothers, however, children of the same birth, and 
curious intermeddlcrs, hearing of this gourd, came dur- 
ing the absence of the cacitjue to peep into it. In their 
carelessness they sufferetl it to fall upon the ground, 
where it was dashed to pieces ; when, lo ! to their aston- 
ishment and dismay, there issued forth a mighty flood, 
with dolphins and sharks, and tumbling porpoises, and 
great spouting whales; and the water spread until it over- 
flowed the earth, and formed the ocean, leaving only the 
tops of the mountains uncovered, which are the present 
islands. 

They had singular modes of treating the d>'ing and 
the dead. When the life of a cacique was despaired of, 
they strangled him, out of a principle of respect, rather 
than suffer liim to die like the vulgar. Common people, 



158 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

in like situation, were extended in their hammocks, 
bread and water placed beside them, and they were then 
abandoned to die in solitude. Sometimes they were car- 
ried to the cacique, and if he permitted them the distinc- 
tion, they were strangled. The body of the deceased was 
sometimes consumed with fire in his habitation ; some- 
times the bones were retained, or the head, or a limb, 
and treasured up among the family relics. After the 
death of a cacique, his body was opened, dried at a fire, 
and preserved. 

They had confused notions of the existence of the soul 
when separated from the body, and believed in appari- 
tions of the deceased. They had an idea that the spirits 
of good men after death were reunited to the spirits of 
those they had most loved, and to those of their ances- 
tors ; they were transported to a happy region, generally 
supposed to be near a lake, in the beautiful province of 
Xaragua, in the western part of the island. Here they 
lived in shady and blooming bowers, with lovely females, 
and banqueted on delicious fruits. 

The dances to which the natives were so addicted were 
not mere idle pastimes, but were often ceremonials of a 
religious and mystic nature. In these were typified their 
historical events and their projected enterprises, whether 
of war or hunting. They were performed to the chant 
of certain metres and ballads handed down from genera- 
tion to generation ; some of a sacred character, contain- 
ing their notions of theology and their religious fables ; 
others heroic and historic, rehearsing the deeds of their 
ancestors. These rhymes they called areytos, and sang 
them to the accompaniment of rude timbrels, made from 
the shells of certain fishes, or to the sound of a drum 
made from a hollow tree. 

The natives appeared to the Spaniards to be an idle 




-i 5^ 

> •:: 

— ^ 



^ 



3 



l6o THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

and improvident race, and indilTcrcnt to most of the ob- 
jects of human anxiety and toil. They were impatient 
of all kinds of labor, scarcely giving themselves the 
trouble to cultivate the yuca root, the maize, and the 
sweet potato, which formed their main articles of food. 
They loitered away existence under the shade of their 
trees, or amusing themselves occasionally with their games 
and dances. 

In fact, they were destitute of all powerful motives to 
toil, being free from most of those wants which doom 
mankind, in civilized life, and in less genial climes, to 
incessant labor. In the soft region of the vega the 
circling seasons brought each its store of fruits, and 
while some were gathered in full maturity, others were 
ripening on the boughs, and buds and blossoms gave 
promise of still succeeding abundance. What need was 
there of garnering up and anxiously providing for com- 
ing days, to men who lived amid a perpetual harvest ? 
What need, too, of toilfully spinning or laboring at the 
loom, where a genial temperature prevailed throughout 
the year, and neither nature nor custom prescribed the 
necessity of clothing? 

The hospitality which characterizes men in such a 
simple and easy mode of existence was evinced towards 
Columbus and his followers during their sojourn in the 
vega. Wherever they went, it was a continual scene of 
festivity and rejoicing, and the natives hastened from all 
parts to lay the treasures of their groves and streams 
and mountains at the feet of beings whom they still con- 
sidered as descended from the skies, to bring blessings to 
their island. 

As we accompany Columbus, in imagination, on his re- 
turn to the harbor, over the rocky height from whence 
the vega first broke upon the eye of the Spaniards, we 



S/CA'Xf:SS OF TIfE COI.OXISTS. I'') I 

cannot help pausing; to cast back a look of minified [lity 
and admiration over this beautiful but devoted region. 
Tile dream of natural liberty aiul iy;norant content was 
as yet unbroken, but the fiat had gone forth ; the white 
man had penetrated into the land ; avarice and pride 
and ambition, and sordid care and pining labor, were 
soon to follow, and the indolent paradise of the Indian 
was about to disappear forever. 



CHAPTER XXII. 

SICKNESS AND DISCONTKNT AT IIIK SKl-ll.KM KNT OF 
ISABELLA. — PREPARATIONS OF COLUMBUS FOR A 
VOYAGE TO CUBA. [1494.] 

Columbus had scarcely returned to the harbor, when 
a messenger arrived from Pedro Margarite, the com- 
mander at P'ort St. Thomas, informing him that the 
Indians of the vicinity had abandoned their villages and 
broken off all intercourse, and that he understood Cao- 
nabo was assembling his warriors to attack the fortress. 
P'rom what the Admiral had seen of the Indians in the 
interior, and the awe in which they stood of the white 
men ami their horses, he felt little apprehensions from 
their hostilit)', and contented himself with sending a re- 
inforcement of twenty men to the fortress, and detaching 
thirty more to open the road between it and the jKirt. 
What gave him most anxiety was the distress which 
continued to increase in the settlement. The heat and 
humidity of the climate, which gave wonderful fecundity 
to the soil, and rapid growth to all European vegetables, 
were fatal to the people. The exhalations from un- 
1 1 



l62 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

drained marshes, and a vast continuity of forest, and the 
action of the sun upon a recking vegetable soil, produced 
intermittent fevers, and those other violent maladies so 
trying to European constitutions in the uncultivated 
countries of the tropics. The greater part of the colo- 
nists were either confined by illness, or reduced to great 
debility. The stock of medicines was exhausted ; Euro- 
pean provisions began to fail, much having been spoiled 
and much wasted. To avert an absolute famine, it was 
necessary to put the people upon allowance; this imme- 
diately caused loud murmurs, in which many in office, 
who ought to have supported Columbus in his measures 
for the common safety, took a leading part. Among the 
number was Friar Boyle, who was irritated at himself 
and his household being put on the same allowance with 
the rest of the community. 

It was necessary, also, to construct a mill immediately, 
to grind the corn, as all the flour was exhausted. Most 
of the workmen, however, were ill, and Columbus was 
obliged to put every healthy person in requisition, not 
even excepting cavaliers and gentlemen of rank. As 
many of the latter refused to comply, he enforced their 
obedience by compulsory measures. This was another 
cause of the deep and lasting hostilities that sprang up 
against him. He was inveighed against, both by the 
cavaliers in the colony and their families in Spain, as an 
upstart foreigner, inflated with sudden authority, and 
who, in pursuit of his own profit and aggrandizement, 
trampled upon the dignity of Spanish gentlemen, and 
insulted the honor of the nation. 

The fate, in truth, of many of the young cavaliers who 
had come out in this expedition, deluded by romantic 
dreams, was lamentable in the extreme. Some of them, 
of noble and opulent connections, had been brought up 



rREPARIXC 10 EXPLORE CUBA. 1 63 

in case and indulgence, and were little calculated to 
endure the hardships and privations of a new settlement 
in the wilderness. When they fell ill, their case soon 
became incurable. They suffered under the irritation of 
wounded pride, and the morbid melanchol}' of disap- 
pointed hope ; their sick-bed was destitute of the tender 
care and soothing attention to which they had been 
accustomed, and they sank into the grave in all the sul- 
lenness of despair, cursing the day that they had left their 
country. So strong an effect had the untimely and dreary 
death of these cavaliers upon the public mind, that, many 
years afterward, when the settlement of Isabella was 
abandoned and had fallen to ruins, its deserted streets 
were said to be haunted by their spectres, walking 
about in ancient Spanish dresses, saluting the wayfarer 
in stately and mournful silence, and vanishing on being 
accosted. Their melancholy story was insidiously made 
use of by the enemies of the Admiral, for it was said 
that they had been seduced from their homes by his 
delusive promises, and sacrificed by him to his private 
interests. 

Columbus was desirous of departing on a voyage to 
explore the coast of Cuba, but it was indispensable, 
before sailing, to place the affairs of the island in such a 
state as to insure tranquillity. For this purpose he de- 
termined to send all the men that could be spared from 
the concerns of the city, or the care of the sick, into the 
interior, where they could be subsisted among the natives, 
and become accustomed to their diet, while their force 
would overawe the machinations of Caonabo, or any 
other hostile cacique. A little army was accordingly 
mustered of two hundred and fifty crossbow-men, one 
hundred and ten arquebusiers, sixteen horsemen, and 
twenty officers. These were to be commanded by Pedro 



164 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

Margarite, while Ojeda was to succeed him in the com- 
mand of Fort St. Thomas, 

Columbus wrote a long and earnest letter of instruc- 
tions to Margarite, desiring him to make a military tour, 
and to explore the principal parts of the island ; but 
enjoining on him the strictest discipline of his army, and 
the most vigilant care to protect the rights of the Indians, 
and cultivate their friendship. Ojeda set off at the head 
of the little army for the fortress ; on his way he learnt 
that three Spaniards had been robbed of their effects by 
five Indians, at the ford of one of the rivers of the vega, 
and that the delinquents had been sheltered by their 
cacique, who had shared their booty. Ojeda was a quick 
and impetuous soldier, whose ideas were all of a military 
kind. He seized one of the thieves, ordered his ears to 
be cut off in the public square of the village, and sent the 
cacique, with his son and nephew, in chains to the admiral, 
who, after terrifying them with preparation for a public 
execution, pretended to yield to the tears and entreaties 
of their friends, and set them at liberty. 

Having thus distributed his forces about the island, 
and taken measures for its tranquillity, Columbus formed 
a junta for its government, of which his brother Don 
Diego was president, and Father Boyle, Pedro Fernan- 
dez Coronal, Alonzo Sanchez Caravajal, and Juan de 
Laxan, were counsellors. Leaving in the harbor two of 
his largest ships, which drew too much water to explore 
unknown coasts and rivers, he set sail on the 24th of 
April, with the " Nina " or " Santa Clara," the " San 
Juan," and the " Cordcra." 



A'/:r/s/ys ccji.i. 165 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

CUUrSK OF COLUMBUS ALONG THE SOUTHERN COAST OF 

CUliA. [1494.] 

The plan of tlic present expedition of Colun:ibus was 
to revisit Cuba at the point where he had abandoned it 
on his first voyage, and thence to explore it on the 
southern side. As has already been observed, he sup- 
posed it to be a continent, and the extreme end of Asia ; 
and if so, by following its shores in the proposed direc- 
tion, he trusted to arrive at Mangi and Cathay, and other 
rich and commercial, though semi-barbarous countries, 
forming part of the territories of the Grand Khan, as 
described by Mandevillc and Marco Polo. 

Having arrived, on the 29th of April, at the eastern 
end of Cuba, to which in his preceding voyage he had 
given the name of Alpha and Omega, but which is now 
known as Cape Maysi, he sailed along the southern coast, 
touching once or twice in the harbors. The natives 
crowded to the shores, gazing with astonishment at the 
ships as they glided gently along at no great distance. 
They held up fruits and other provisions, to tempt the 
Spaniards to land, while others came off in canoes, offer- 
ing various refreshments, not in barter, but as free gifts. 
On inquiring of them for gold, they uniformly pointed to 
the south, intimating that a great island lay in that direc- 
tion, where it was to be found in abundance. On the 
3d of Ma)', therefore, Columbus turned his prow direct!)' 
south, aiul, abandoning the coast of Cuba for a time, 
steered in cjuest of this reported island, lie had not 
sailed many leagues before tlie blue summits of Jamaica 



1 66 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

began to rise above the horizon. It was two days and a 
night, however, before he reached it, filled with admira- 
tion, as he gradually drew near, at its vast extent, the 
beauty of its mountains, the majesty of its forests, and 
the great number of villages which animated the whole 
face of the country. 

He coasted the island from about the centre to a port 
at the western end, which he called the Gulf of Buen- 
tiempo. He found the natives more ingenious as well 
as more warlike than those of Cuba and Hayti. Their 
canoes were constructed with more art, and ornamented 
at the bow and stern with carving and painting. Many 
were of great size, though formed of the hollow trunks 
of single trees, often a species of the mahogany. Colum- 
bus measured one which proved to be ninety-six feet 
long and eight broad ; it was hollowed out of one of 
those magnificent trees which rise like verdant towers 
amidst the rich forests of the tropics. Every cacique 
possessed a large canoe of the kind, which he seemed to 
regard as his galley of state. The Spaniards at first were 
treated with hostility, and were compelled to skirmish 
with the natives, but a friendly intercourse succeeded. 

Columbus being disappointed in his hopes of finding 
gold in Jamaica, and the breeze being fair for Cuba, he 
determined to return thither. Just as he was about to 
sail, a young Indian came off to the ship, and begged 
that the Spaniards would take him with them to their 
country. He was followed by his relatives and friends, 
supplicating him to abandon his purpose. For some 
time he was distracted between concern for their distress, 
and an ardent desire to see the home of the wonderful 
strangers. Curiosity, and the youthful propensity to 
rove, at length prevailed ; he tore himself from the em- 
braces of his friends, and took refuge in a secret part of 



r..r 




< 



< 



o 



1 68 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

the ship, from the tears and entreaties of his sisters. 
Touched by this scene of natural affection, and pleased 
with the confiding spirit of the youth, Columbus ordered 
that he should be treated with especial kindness. 

It would have been interesting to have known some- 
thing more of this curious savage, and of the, effect which 
the first sight of the land of the white men had upon his 
mind ; whether it equaled his hopes ; or whether, as is 
usual with savages, he pined, amidst the splendors of 
cities, for his native forests ; and whether he ever re- 
turned to the arms of his family. The Spanish voyagers, 
however, were indifferent to these matters ; no further 
mention is made in their narratives of this youthful ad- 
venturer. 

Having steered again for Cuba, Columbus, on the i8th 
of May, arrived at a great cape, to which he gave the 
name of Cabo de la Cruz, which it still retains. Coast- 
ing to the west, he soon got entangled in a complete 
labyrinth of small islands and keys ; some of them were 
low, naked, and sandy, others covered with verdure, and 
others tufted with lofty and beautiful forests. To this 
archipelago, which extended as far as the eye could reach, 
and, in a manner, enameled the face of the ocean with 
variegated verdure, he gave the name of the Queen's 
Garden. He persuaded himself that these were the 
islands mentioned by Sir John Mandeville and Marco 
Polo, as fringing the coast of Asia ; if so, he must soon 
arrive at the dominions of the Grand Khan. 

There was much in the character of the scenery to 
favor the idea. As the ships glided along the smooth 
and glassy channels which separated the islands, the mag- 
nificence of their vegetation, the soft odors wafted from 
flowers and blossoms and aromatic shrubs, the splendid 
plumage of scarlet cranes, flamingoes, and other tropical 



ALONG THE COAST OF CUBA. 1 69 

birds, and the gaudy clouds of butterflies, all resembled 
what is described of oriental climes. 

Emerging from the labyrinth of the Queen's Garden, 
Columbus pursued his voyage with a jirosperous breeze 
along that part of the southern side of Cuba where, for 
nearly thirty-five leagues, the navigation is free from 
banks and islands; to his left was the broad and open sea, 
whose dark-blue color gave token of ample depth ; to his 
right extended a richly wooded country, called Ornofay, 
with noble mountains, frequent streams, and numerous 
villages. The appearance of the ships spread wonder 
and joy along the coast. The natives came off swimming 
or in canoes, to offer fruits and other presents. After 
the usual evening shower, when the breeze blew from the 
shore and brought off the sweetness of the land, it bore 
with it also the distant songs of the natives, and the 
sound of their rude music, as they were probably cele- 
brating, with their national chants and dances, the ar- 
rival of these wonderful strangers on their coasts. 

Animated by the delusions of his fancy, Columbus 
continued to follow up this supposed continent of Asia; 
plunging into another wilderness of keys and islets 
towards the western end of Cuba, and exploring that 
perplexed and lonels' coast, whose intricate channels are 
seldom visited, even at the present day, except by the 
lurking bark of the smuggler and the pirate. 

In this navigation he had to contend with almost in- 
credible difficulties and perils; his vessels having to be 
warped through narrow and shallow passages, where they 
frequently ran aground. He was encouraged to proceed 
by information which he received, or fancied he received, 
from the natives concerning a country farther on called 
Mangon, w here the people wore clothing, and which he 
supposed must be Mangi, the rich Asiatic province de- 



PRESTER JOHN. 17I 

scribed by Marco Polo. He also understood from tlicm 
that among the mountains to the west there was a power- 
ful king, who reigned in great state over many populous 
provinces; that he wore a white garment which swept 
the ground, that he was called a saint, and never spoke, 
but communicated his orders to his subjects by signs. 
In all this wc see the busy imagination of Columbus in- 
terpreting the imperfectly understood communications 
of the Indians into unison with his preconceived ideas. 

This fancied king with a saintly title was probably 
conjured up in his mind by some descriptions which he 
thought accorded with what he had read of that mysteri- 
ous potentate Prester John, who had long figured, some- 
times as a monarch, sometimes as a priest, in the nar- 
rations of all eastern travellers. His crews seem to have 
partaken of his delusion. One day, a party being sent on 
shore for wood and water, while they were employed in 
cutting wood and filling their water-casks, an archer 
strayed into the forest with his crossbow, in search of 
game, but soon returned flying in breathless terror. He 
declared tliat he had seen through an opening glade a 
man dressed in long white robes, followed by two others 
in white tunics reaching to their knees, and that they had 
complexions as fair as Europeans. 

Columbus was rejoiced at this intelligence, hoping that 
he had found the clothed inhabitants of Mangon. Two 
parties were dispatched, well armed, in quest of these 
people in white ; the first returned unsuccessful ; the 
other brought word of having tracked the footjjrints of 
some large animal with claws, supposed by them to have 
been either a lion or a griffin, but which most probably 
was an alligator. Dismayed at the sight, they hastened 
back to the seaside. As no tribe of Indians wearing 
clothing was ever discovered in Cuba, it is probable the 



1/2 THE LIFE OF COLUMBL'S. 

men in white were nothing else than a flock of cranes, 
seen by the wandering archer. These birds, Hke the fla- 
mingoes, feed in company, with one stationed at a dis- 
tance as a sentinel. When seen through an opening of 
the woodlands, standing in rows in a shallow glassy pool, 
their height and erectness give them, at first glance, the 
semblance of human figures. 



CHAPTER XXIV. 

RETURN VOYAGE. [1494.] 

Columbus now hoped, by continuing on, to arrive 
ultimately at the Aura Chersonesus of the ancients ; 
doubling which, he might make his way to the Red Sea, 
thence to Joppa, and so by the Mediterranean to Spain ; 
or might circumnavigate Africa, pass triumphantly by 
the Portuguese as they were groping along the coast 
of Guinea, and after having thus circumnavigated the 
globe, furl his adventurous sails at the Pillars of Hercu- 
les, the ne plus ultra of the ancient world. But though 
his fellow-voyagers shared his opinion that they were 
coasting the continent of Asia, they were far from shar- 
ing his enthusiasm, and shrunk from the increasing perils 
of the voyage. The ships were strained and crazed by fre- 
quently running aground. The cables and rigging were 
much worn, the provisions nearly exhausted, and the 
crews worn out and disheartened by incessant labor. 
The Admiral, therefore, was finally persuaded to aban- 
don all further prosecution of the voyage ; but, before 
he turned back, he obliged the whole of the officers 
and seamen to sign a deposition, declaring their perfect 



CUBA BELIEVED TO BE A COX 'J 1 2V EN 7'. 1/3 

conviction that Cuba was a continent, the beginninj^ and 
the end of India. This singuhir instrument was signed 
near that deep bay called by some the Bay of Philipina, 
by others, of Cortes. At this very time a ship-boy from 
the masthead miglit have overlooked the group of islands 
to the south, and have beheld the open sea beyond. Had 
Columbus continued on for two or three days longer, he 
would have passed round the extremity of Cuba ; his 
illusion would have been dispelled, and an entirely dif- 
ferent course might have been given to his subsequent 
discoveries. 

Returning now towards the east, the crews suffered 
excessively from fatigue and a scarcity of provisions. At 
length, on the 7th of July, they anchored at the mouth 
of a fine river, in a genial and abundant country, which 
they had previously visited, as they had come down 
along the coast. Here the natives brought them pro- 
visions of various kinds. It was a custoin with Colum- 
bus to erect crosses in all remarkable places, to denote 
the discovery of the country, and its subjugation to the 
true faith. This was done on the banks of this river, on 
a Sunday morning, with great ceremony. Columbus was 
attended by the cacique, and by his principal favorite, a 
venerable Indian, fourscore years of age. While mass 
was performed in a stately grove, the natives looked on 
with awe and reverence. When it was ended, the old 
man of fourscore made a speech to Columbus in the 
Indian manner. " I am told," said he, " that thou hast 
lately come to these lands with a mighty force, and hast 
subdued many countries, spreading great fear among the 
l)cople ; but be not therefore vainglorious. Know that, 
according to our belief, the souls of men have two jour- 
neys to perform after they have departed from the body; 
one to a place dismal, foul, and covered with darkness. 



174 



THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 



prepared for such as have been unjust and cruel to their 
fellow-men ; the other full of delight, for such as have 
promoted peace on eartli. If, then, thou art mortal, and 
dost expect to die, beware that thou hurt no man wrong- 
fully, neither do harm to those who have done no harm 
to thee." 



^■fi^|l/k> 









O. t•^: 






■- 't* -V., 



4/v* i/i-' At - ij -" "^~ 



■'■' \' 




KILLING SEA WOLVES. 
Redraiun from De Bry. 

When this speech was explained to Columbus by his 
interpreter, he was greatly moved by the simple elo- 
quence of this untutored savage, and rejoiced to hear 
his doctrine of a future state of the soul, having sup- 
posed that no belief of the kind existed among the in- 
habitants of these countries. He assured the old man 



ALONG THE COAST 01- JAMAICA. 1/5 

that he had been sent by his sovereigns to teach them 
tlie true religion, to protect them from harm, and to 
subdue their enemies the Caribs. Tlie venerable Indian 
was exceedingly astonished to learn that the Admiral, 
whom he had considered so great and powerful, was yet 
but a subject, and when he was told by the interpreter, 
who had been in Spain, of the grandeur of the Spanish 
monarchs, and of the wonders of their kingdom, a 
sudden desire seized him to embark witii the Admiral, 
and accompany him to see this wonderful country, and it 
was with difficulty the tears and remonstrances of his 
wife and children could dissuade him from his purpose. 

After leaving this river, to which, from the solemn 
mass performed on its banks, Columbus gave the name 
of Rio de la Misa, he continued on to Cape Cruz, and 
then stood over to Jamaica, to complete the circumnavi- 
gation of that island. Vox nearly a month he continued 
beating to the eastward along its southern coast, coming 
to anchor every evening uncier the land, and making but 
slow progress. Anchoring one evening in a great bay, 
he was visited by a cacique with a numerous train, who 
remained until a late hour conversing with the Lucayan 
interpreter who had been in Spain, about the Spaniards 
and their country, and their prowess in vanquishing the 
Caribs. 

On the following morning, when the ships were under 
way, they beheld three canoes issuing from among the 
islands of the bay. The centre one was large, and 
handsomely carved and painted. In it were seated the 
cacique and his family, consisting of two daughters, 
young and beautiful, two sons, and five brothers. They 
were all arrayed in their jewels, and attended by the 
officers of the chieftain, decorated with plumes, and man- 
tles of variegated feathers. The standard-bearer stood 



1/6 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

in the prow with a fluttering white banner, while other 
Indians, fancifully painted, beat upon tabors, or sounded 
trumpets of fine black wood ingeniously carved. The 
cacique, entering on board of the ship, distributed pres- 
ents among the crew, and approaching the Admiral, " I 
have heard," said he, " of the irresistible power of thy 
sovereigns, and of the many nations thou hast subdued 
in their name. Thou hast destroyed the dwellings of the 
Caribs, slaying their warriors, and carrying their wives 
and children into captivity. All the islands are in dread 
of thee, for who can withstand thee, now that thou 
knowest the secrets of the land, and the weakness of 
the people? Rather, therefore, than thou shouldst take 
away my dominions, I will embark with all my house- 
hold in thy ships, and will go to render homage to thy 
king and queen, and behold thy country, of which I hear 
such wonders." 

When this speech was interpreted to Columbus, and 
he beheld the wife, the sons, and daughters of the 
cacique, and considered to what ills they would be ex- 
posed, he was touched with compassion, and determined 
not to take them from their native land. He received 
the cacique under his protection, as a vassal of his sover- 
eigns, but informed him that he had many lands yet to 
visit before he should return to his owi\ country. He 
dismissed him, therefore, for the present, promising that 
at some future time he would gratify his wishes. 

On the 19th of August Columbus lost sight of the 
eastern extremity of Jamaica, and on the following day 
made that long peninsula of Hayti, since called Cape 
Tiburon, but to which he gave the name of San Miguel. 
He coasted the whole of the southern side of the island, 
and had to take refuge in the channel of Saona from a 
violent storm which raged for several days, during which 



ILLNESS OF COLUMBUS. 1/7 

time he suffered great anxiety for the fate of the other 
vessels, which remained at sea, exposed to the fury of 
the tempest. Being rejoined by them, and the weather 
having moderated, he set sail eastward with the intention 
of completing the discovery of the Caribbee Islands, but 
his physical strength did not correspond to the efforts of 
his spirit. The extraordinary fatigues which he had suf- 
fered both in mind and body, during this harassing voy- 
age, which had lasted for five months, had secretly preyed 
upon his health. He had shared in all the hardships and 
privations of the common seamen, and he had cares and 
trials from which they were exempt. When the sailor, 
worn out with the labors of his watch, slept soundly, in 
spite of the howling of the storms, the anxious com- 
mander maintained his painful vigil, through long, sleep- 
less nights, amidst the pelting of the tempest and the 
drenching surges of the sea, for the safety of the ships 
depended upon his watchfulness. During a great part of 
the voyage he had been excited by the hope of soon 
arriving at the known parts of India ; he was afterwards 
stimulated, by a conflict with hardships and perils, as he 
made his way back against contrary winds and currents. 
The moment he was relieved from all solicitude, and 
found himself in a tranquil sea, which he had already ex- 
plored, the excitement suddenly ceased, and mind and 
body sunk exhausted by almost superhuman exertions. 
He fell into a deep lethargy, resembling death itself. 
His crew feared that death was realh' at hand. They 
abandoned, therefore, all farther prosecution of the voy- 
age, and spreading their sails to a favorable breeze from 
the east, bore Columbus back, in a state of complete in- 
sensibility, to the harbor of Isabella. 



178 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 



CHAPTER XXV. 

EVENTS IN THE ISLAND OF HISPANIOLA. — INSURREC- 
TIONS OF THE NATIVES. — EXPEDITION OF OJEDA 
AGAINST CAONABO. [1494.] 

A JOYFUL and heartfelt surprise awaited Columbus on 
his arrival, in finding at his bedside his brother Bartholo- 
mew, the companion of his youth, his zealous coadjutor, 
and, in a manner, his second self, from whom he had 
been separated for several years. It will be recollected 
that about the time of the Admiral's departure for Portu- 
gal he commissioned Bartholomew to repair to England, 
and offer his project of discovery to Henry the Seventh. 
Various circumstances occurred to delay this application. 
There is reason to believe that, in the interim, he accom- 
panied Bartholomew Diaz in that celebrated voyage in 
the course of which the Cape of Good Hope was discov- 
ered. On his way to England, also, Bartholomew Colum- 
bus was captured by a corsair, and reduced to extreme 
poverty. It is but justice to the memory of Henry the 
Seventh to say that when, after a lapse of several years, 
the proposition was eventually made to him, it met with 
a more prompt attention than it had received from any 
other sovereign. An agreement was actually made with 
Bartholomew for the prosecution of the enterprise, and 
the latter departed for Spain in search of his brother. 
On reaching Paris he received intelligence that the dis- 
covery was already made, and that his brother was 
actually at the Spanish court enjoying his triumph, and 
preparing to sail on a second expedition. He hastened 
to rejoin him, and was furnished by the French monarch, 



COLUMBUS REJOINED BY HIS BJWJllER. 1/9 

Charles the Eightli, with a hundred crowns to defray the 
expenses of the journey. He reached Seville just as his 
brother had sailed ; but being an accomplished navigator, 
the sovereigns gave him the command of three ships, 
freighted with supplies for the colony, and sent him to 
aid his brother in h.is enterprises. He again arrived too 
late, reaching the settlement of Isabella just after the de- 
parture of the Admiral for the coast of Cuba. 

The sight of this brother was an inexpressible relief to 
Columbus, disabled as he was by sickness, overwhelmed 
w ith cares, and surrounded by strangers. His chief de- 
pendence had hitherto been upon his brother Don 
Diego ; but the latter was of a mild and peaceable dispo- 
sition, with an inclination for a clerical life, and was but 
little fittetl to manage the affairs of a factious colony. 
Bartholomew was of a different and more efificient char- 
acter. He was prompt, active, decided, and of a fearless 
spirit; whatever he determined he carried into instant 
execution, without regard to difficulty or danger. His 
person corresponded to his mind; it was tall, muscular, 
vigorous, and commanding. He had an air of great 
authority, but somewhat stern, wanting that sweetness 
and benignit)' which tempered the authoritative de- 
meanor of the Admiral. Indeed, there was a certain as- 
perity in his temper and a dryness and abruptness in his 
manners which made him many enemies; yet, notwith- 
standing these external defects, he was of a generous 
disposition, free from arrogance or malevolence, and as 
placable as he was brave. 

He was a thorough seaman, both in theory and prac- 
tice, having been formed, in a great measure, under the 
eye of the Admiral, to whom he was but little inferior in 
science. He was acquainted with Latin, but does not 
appear to have been highly educated, his knowledge, 



l8o THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

like that of his brother, being chiefly derived from a long 
course of varied experience and attentive observation, 
aided by the studies of maturer years. Equally vigorous 
and penetrating in intellect with the Admiral, but less 
enthusiastic in spirit and soaring in imagination, and 
with less simplicity of heart, he surpassed him in the 
adroit management of business, was more attentive to 
pecuniary interests, and had more of that worldly wisdom 
which is so important in the ordinary concerns of life. 
His genius might never have excited him to the sublime 
speculation which led to the discovery of a world, but his 
practical sagacity was calculated to turn that discovery 
to more advantage. 

Anxious to relieve himself from the pressure of public 
business during his present malady, Columbus imme- 
diately invested his brother with the title and authority 
of Adelantado, an office equivalent to that of lieutenant- 
governor. He felt the importance of his assistance in 
the present critical state of the colony, for during the 
few months that he had been absent the whole island 
had become a scene of violence and discord. A brief 
retrospect is here necessary, to explain the cause of this 
confusion. 

Pedro Margarite, to whom Columbus on his departure 
had given orders to make a military tour of the island, 
set forth on his expedition with the greater part of the 
forces, leaving Alonzo de Ojeda in command of Fort St. 
Thomas. Instead, however, of proceeding on his tour, 
Margarite lingered among the populous and hospitable 
villages of the vega, where he and his soldiery, by their 
licentious and oppressive conduct, soon roused the in- 
dignation and hatred of the natives. Tidings of their 
excesses reached Don Diego Columbus, who, with the 
concurrence of the council, wrote to Margarite, repre- 



DESERTION OF MARGARITE AND FRIAR BOYLE. iSl 

bending his conduct, and ordering hiin to depart on his 
tour. Margarita replied in a hauglity and arrogant tone, 
pretending to consider himself independent in his com- 
mand, and above all responsibility to Don Diego or his 
council. He was supported i!i his tone of defiance by the 
kind of aristocratical party composed of the idle cavaliers 
of the colony, who had been deeply wounded in the 
pundonor, the proud punctilio so jealously guarded by a 
Spaniard, and affected to look down with contempt upon 
the newly coined nobility of Don Diego, and to consider 
Columbus and his brothers mere mercenary and upstart 
foreigners. In addition to these partisans Margarite had 
a powerful ally in his fellow-countryman, Friar Boyle, the 
apostolical vicar for the New World, an intriguing man, 
who had conceived a violent hostility against the Admi- 
ral, and had become disgusted with his mission to the 
wilderness. A cabal was soon formed of most of those 
who were disaffected to the Admiral, and discontented 
with their abode in the colony. Margarite and Friar 
Boyle acted as if possessed of paramount authority ; and, 
without consulting Don Diego or the council, took pos- 
session of certain ships in the harbor, and set sail for 
Spain, with their adherents. They were both favorites 
of the king, and deemed it would be an easy matter to 
justify their abandonment of their military and religious 
commands, by a pretended zeal for the public good, and 
a desire to represent to the sovereigns the disastrous 
state of the colony, and the tyranny and oppression of 
Columbus and his brothers. Thus the first general and 
apostle of the New World set the flagrant example of 
unauthorized abandonment of their posts. 

The departure of Margarite left the arm}- without a 
head ; the soldiers now roved about in bands, or singly, 
according to their caprice, indulging in all kinds of ex- 



1 82 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

cesses. The natives, indignant at having their hospi- 
taHty thus requited, refused any longer to furnish them 
with food ; the Spaniards, therefore, seized upon provis- 
ions wlierever they could be found, committing, at the 
same time, many acts of wanton violence. At length the 
Indians were roused to resentment, and from confiding 
and hospitable hosts were converted into vindictive ene- 
mies. They slew the Spaniards wherever they could sur- 
prise them singly or in small parties; and Guatiguana, 
cacique of a large town on the Grand River, put to death 
ten soldiers who were quartered in his town, set fire to a 
house in which forty sick Spaniards were lodged, and 
even held a small fortress called Magdalena, recently built 
in the vega, in a state of siege, insomuch that the com- 
mander had to shut himself up within his walls, until 
relief should arrive from the settlement. 

The most formidable enemy of the Spaniards was 
Caonabo, the Carib cacique of the mountains. He had 
natural talents for war, great sagacity, a proud and dar- 
ing spirit to urge him on, three valiant brothers to assist 
him, and a numerous tribe at his command. He had 
been enraged at seeing the fortress of St. Thomas erected 
in the very centre of his dominions ; and finding by his 
spies that the garrison was reduced to but fifty men, and 
the army of Margarite dismembered, he thought the time 
had arrived to strike a signal blow, and to repeat the hor- 
rors which he. had wreaked upon La Navidad. 

The wily cacique, however, had a different kind of 
enemy to deal with in the commander of St. Thomas. 
Alonzo de Ojeda deserves particular notice as a specimen 
of the singular characters which arose among the Spanish 
discoverers. He had been schooled in Moorish warfare, 
and, of course, versed in all kinds of military stratagems. 
Naturally of a rash and fiery spirit, his courage was 



ATTACK UP ON OJEDA. 1 83 

heightened by superstition. Having never received a 
wound in his numerous quarrels and encounters, he con- 
sidered himself under the special protection of the holy 
Virgin, and that no weapon had power to harm him. lie 
had a small Flemish painting of the Virgin, which he 
carried constantly witli him ; in his marches he bore it in 
his knapsack, and wouKl often take it out, fix it against 
a tree, and address his prayers to his military patroness. 
In a word, he swore by the Virgin ; he invoked the Vir- 
gin either in brawl or battle ; and under favor of the 
Virgin he was ready for any enterprise or adventure. 
Such was Alonzo dc Ojeda, bigoted in devotion, reckless 
in life, fearless in spirit, like man}' of the roving Spanish 
cavaliers of those days. 

Having reconnoitred the fortress of St. Thomas, Cao- 
nabo assembled ten thousand warriors, armed with war 
clubs, bows and arrows, and lances, hardened in the fire, 
and led them secretly through the forests, thinking to 
surprise Ojeda, but found him warily drawn up within 
his fortress, which was built upon a hill, and nearly sur- 
rounded by a river. Caonabo then held the fortress in 
siege for thirty days, and reduced it to great distress. 
He lost man)' of his bravest warriors, however, by the 
impetuous sallies of Ojeda ; others grew weary of the 
siege and returned home. He at length relinquished 
the attempt, and retired, filled with admiration of the 
prowess of Ojeda. 

The restless cliieftain now endeavored to form a league 
of the principal caciques of the island to unite their 
forces, surprise the settlement of Isabella, and massacre 
the Spaniards wherever they could be found. To explain 
this combination, it is necessary to state the internal dis- 
tribution of the island. It was divided into five domains, 
each governed by a sovereign cacique of absolute and 



1S4 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

hereditary powers, having many inferior caciques tribu- 
tary to him. The most important domain comprised the 
middle part of the royal vega, and was governed by 
Guarionex. The second was Marion, under the sway of 
Guacanagari, on whose coast Columbus had been wrecked. 
The third was Maguana, which included the gold mines 
of Cibao, and was under the sway of Caonabo. The 
fourth was Xaragua, at the western end of the island, 
the most populous and extensive of all. The sovereign 
was named Behechio. The fifth domain was Higuey, 
and occupied the whole eastern part of the island, but 
had not as yet been visited by the Spaniards. The name 
of the cacique was Cotabanama. 

Three of these sovereign caciques readily entered into 
the league with Caonabo, for the profligate conduct of 
the Spaniards had inspired hostility even in remote parts 
of the island which had never been visited by them. The 
league, however, met with unexpected opposition from 
the fifth cacique, Guacanagari, He not merely refused 
to join the conspiracy, but entertained a hundred Span- 
iards in his territory, supplying all their wants with his 
accustomed generosity. This drew upon him the odium 
and hostility of his fellow caciques, who inflicted on him 
various injuries and indignities. Behechio killed one of 
his wives, and Caonabo carried another away captive. 
Nothing, however, could shake the devotion of Guacana- 
gari to the Spaniards ; and as his dominions lay imme- 
diately adjacent to the settlement, his refusal to join in 
the conspiracy prevented it from being immediately car- 
ried into effect. 

Such was the critical state to which the affairs of the 
island had been reduced, and such the bitter hostility en- 
gendered among its kind and gentle inhabitants, during 
the absence of Columbus. Immediately on his return, 



FRIENDLINESS OF GUACANAGARI. I.S5 

and while he was yet confined to his bed, Guacanagari 
visited him, and revealed to him all the designs of the 
confederate caciques, offering to lead his subjects to the 
field, and to fight by the side of the Spaniards. C(jlum- 
bus had always retained a deep sense of the ancient 
kindness of Guacanagari, and was rejoiced to have all 
suspicion of his good faith thus effectually dispelled. 
Their former amicable intercourse was renewed, and the 
chieftain ever continued to evince an affectionate rev- 
erence for the Admiral. 

Columbus considered the confederacy of the caciques 
as but imperfectly formed, and trusted that, from their 
want of skill and experience in warfare, their plans might 
easily be disconcerted. He was too ill to take the field 
in person. His brother Diego was not of a military char- 
acter, and Bartholomew was yet a stranger among the 
Spaniards, and regarded with jealousy. He determined, 
therefore, to proceed against the Indians in detail, at- 
tacking some, conciliating others, and securing certain of 
the most formidable by stratagem. 

A small force was accordingly sent to relieve Fort 
Magdalena, which was beleaguered by Guatiguana, the 
cacique of the Grand River, who had massacred the 
Spaniards quartered in his town. He was driven from 
before the fortress, his countr)' laid waste, and many of 
his warriors slain, but the chieftain made his escape. As 
he was tributary to Guarionex, the sovereign of the royal 
vega, care was taken to explain to that powerful cacique 
that this was an act of mere individual punishment, not of 
general hostilit}'. Guarionex was of a quiet and placable 
disposition ; he was easily soothed and won to friend- 
ship ; and, to link him in some degree to the Spanish 
interest, Columbus prevailed on him to give his daughter 
in marriage to the converted Lucayan, who had been 









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EXPEDITION AGAINST CAONABO. 1 87 

baptized in Spain by the name of Diego Colon, and who 
was devoted to the Admiral. He gained permission from 
liim also to erect a fortress in the midst of his territories, 
which he named Fort Conception. 

The most formidable enemy remained to be disposed 
of, which was Caonabo ; to make war up^Mi this fierce 
and subtle chieftain in the depths of his wild woodland 
territory, and among the fastnesses of his mountains, 
would have been a work of time, peril, and uncertain 
issue. In the meanwhile, the settlements would never 
be safe from his secret combinations and daring enter- 
prises, nor could the mines be worked with security, as 
they lay in his neighborhood. While perplexed on this 
subject, Columbus was relieved by a proposition of 
Alonzo de Odeja, who undertook to bring the Carib 
chieftain either a friend or captive to the settlement. 

Choosing ten bold and hardy followers, well armed 
and well mounted, and invoking the protection of his 
patroness the Virgin, Ojeda plunged into the forest, and 
making his way above sixty leagues into the wild terri- 
tories of Caonabo, appeared fearlessly before the cacique 
in one of his most populous towns, professing to come 
on an amicable embassy from the Admiral. lie was well 
received by Caonabo, who had tried him in battle, and 
had conceived a warrior's admiration of him. The free, 
dauntless deportment, great personal strength and agil- 
ity, and surprising adroitness of Ojeda in all manly and 
warlike exercises were calculated to charm a savage, and 
soon made him a favorite with Caonabo. He used all 
his influence to prevail upon the cacique to repair to Is£i- 
bella, and enter into a treaty with Columbus, offering 
him, it is said, as an inducement, the bell of the chapel 
at the harbor. The bell was the wonder of the island. 
When its melody sounded through the forests, as it rung 



1 88 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

for mass, the Indians had noticed "that the Spaniards 
hastened from all parts to the chapel. At other times, 
when it gave the vesper-peal, they beheld the Spaniards 
pause in the midst of their labors or amusements, and, 
taking off their hats, repeat a prayer with great devotion. 
They imagined, therefore, that this bell had some mys- 
terious power ; that it had come from " Turey," or the 
skies, and was the zemi of the white men ; that it talked 
to them, and they obeyed its orders. Caonabo had 
longed to see this bell, and when it was proffered to him 
as a present of peace, he found it impossible to resist 
the temptation. 

He agreed to visit the Admiral at the harbor ; but 
when the time came to depart, Ojeda beheld with sur- 
prise a powerful army ready to march. He remonstrated 
on taking such a force on a mere friendly visit, to which 
the cacique proudly replied, " That it was not befitting 
a great prince like him to go forth scantily guarded." 
Ojeda feared some sinister design, and, to outwit the 
cacique, had resort to a stratagem which has the air of 
a romantic fable, but is recorded by all the contempo- 
rary historians, and accords with the adventurous and 
extravagant character of the man, and the wild strata- 
gems incident to Indian warfare. 

As the army had halted one day near the river Yegua, 
Ojeda produced a set of manacles of polished steel, so 
highly burnished that they looked like silver. These he 
assured Caonabo were ornaments worn by the Castilian 
monarchs on high festivities, and were sent as a present 
to him. He proposed that Caonabo should bathe in the 
river, after which he should be decorated with these or- 
naments, mounted on the horse of Ojeda, and conducted 
back in the state of a Spanish monarch to astonish his 
subjects. The cacique was dazzled with the splendor of 



CAONABO CAPTURED. 1 89 

the shackles, and pleased with the idea of bestriding one 
of those tremendous animals so dreaded by his country- 
men. He bathed in the river, mounted behind Ojcda, 
and the shackles were adjusted. The Spaniards then 
pranced among the astonished savages, and made a wide 
sweep into the forest, until the trees concealed them 
from sight. They then drew their swords, closed round 
Caonabo, and threatened him with instant death if he 
made the least noise or resistance. They bound him 
with cords to Ojeda, to prevent his falling or effecting 
an escape ; then putting spurs to their horses, they 
dashed across the Yegua, made off through the woods 
with their prize, and, after a long, rugged, and perilous 
journey, entered Isabella in triumph ; Ojeda bringing 
the wild Indian chieftain bound behind him a captive. 

Columbus could not refrain from expressing his great 
satisfaction when this dangerous foe was delivered into 
his hands. The haughty Carib met him with a lofty 
and unsubdued air, disdaining to conciliate him by sub- 
mission, or to deprecate his vengeance for his massacre of 
the garrison of La Navidad. He even boasted that he 
had secretly reconnoitred Isabella, with the design of 
wreaking on it the same destruction. He never evinced 
the least animosity against Ojeda for the artifice by 
which he had been captured. He looked upon it as the 
exploit of a master spirit, to pounce upon him, and bear 
him off in this hawk-like manner from the very midst 
of his fighting men ; for there is nothing that an In- 
dian more admires in warfare than a deep-laid and well- 
executed stratagem. Whenever Columbus entered the 
prison of Caonabo, all present rose, according to custom, 
and paid him reverence. The cacique alone remained 
sitting. On the contrary, when Ojeda entered, though 
small in person, and without external state, Caonabo 



190 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

immediately rose and saluted him with profound respect. 
On being asked the reason of this, the proud Carib re- 
plied that the Admiral had never dared to come person- 
ally to his dominions and capture him ; it was only 
through the valor of Ojeda he was his prisoner ; to the 
latter alone, therefore, he should pay reverence. 

Columbus, though struck with the natural heroism of 
this savage, considered him too dangerous an enemy to 
be left at large. He maintained him, therefore, a close 
prisoner in a part of his own dwelling, until he could be 
shipped to Spain, but treated him with great kindness 
and respect. One of the brothers of the cacique assem- 
bled an army in hopes of surprising the fortress of St. 
Thomas and capturing a number of Spaniards, for whom 
he might obtain Caonabo in exchange ; but Ojeda re- 
ceived intelligence of his design, and coming upon him 
suddenly, attacked him with his little troop of horse, 
routed his army, killed many of his warriors, and took 
him prisoner. 



CHAPTER XXVI. 

BATTLE OF THE VEGA. — IMPOSITION OF TRIBUTE. 

[1494.] 

The arrival of four ships about this time, commanded 
by Antonio Torres, bringing out a physician and apothe- 
cary, various mechanics, millers, and husbandmen, and 
an ample supply of provisions, diffused universal joy 
among the suffering Spaniards. Columbus received a 
highly flattering letter from his sovereigns, approving of 
all that he had done, informing him that all differences 
with Portugal had been amicably adjusted, and inviting 



ARRIVAL OF TORRES WITH SUPPLIES. IQI 

him to return to Spain, or to send some able person in 
his place, furnished with maps and charts, to be present 
at a convention for adjusting the dividing line of dis. 
covery between the two jiowers. Columbus hastened 
the return of the ships, sending his brother Diego to 
attend the convention, and to counteract the misrepre- 
sentations which he was aware had been sent home of 
his conduct, and which would be enforced by Margarite 
and Friar Boyle. He remitted, by the ships, all the 
gokl he could collect, with specimens of fruits and 
valuable plants, and fix'c hundred Indian captives, to be 
sold as slaves in Seville. It is painful to find the glory 
of Columbus sullied by such violations of the laws of 
humanity, but the customs of the times must plead his 
apology. In the recent discoveries along the coast of 
Africa, the traf^c in slaves had formed one of the great- 
est sources of profit, and in the wars with the enlightened 
and highly civilized Moors of Granada the Spaniards 
were accustomed to make slaves of their prisoners. Co- 
lumbus was goaded on, likewise, by the misrepresenta- 
tions of his enemies, to try every means of indemnifying 
the sovereigns for the expenses of his enterprises, and to 
produce them a revenue from the countries he had dis- 
covered. 

The Admiral had now recovered his health, antl the 
colonists were, in some degree, refreshed and invigorated 
by the supplies brought by the ships, when Guacana- 
gari brouLjht intelligence that the allied caciques, headed 
by Manicaotex, brother and successor to Caonabo, had 
assembled all their forces in the vega, within two days' 
march of Isabella, with an intention of making a grand 
assault upon the settlement. Columbus immediately 
determined to carry the war into the territories of the 
enemy, rather than wait for it to be brought to his door. 



192 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

The whole sound and effective force he could muster, 
in the present sickly state of the colony, did not exceed 
two hundred infantry and twenty horse. There were 
twenty bloodhounds also, animals scarcely less terrible 
to the Indians than the horses, and infinitely more de- 
structive. Guacanagari, also, brought his people into the 
field, but both he and his subjects were of an unwarlike 
character; the chief advantage of his co-operation was 
that it completely severed him from his fellow caciques, 
and secured him as an ally. 

It was on the 27th of March, 1495, that Columbus 
issued forth from Isabella with his little army, accom- 
panied by his brother, the adelantado, and advancing by 
rapid marches, arrived in the neighborhood of the enemy, 
who were assembled in the vega, near to where the town 
of Santiago has since been built. The Indians were con- 
fident in their number, which is said to have amounted to 
one hundred thousand ; this is evidently an exaggeration, 
but the number was undoubtedly very great. The ade- 
lantado arranged the mode of attack. The infantry, 
divided into small detachments, advanced suddenly from 
various quarters, with great din of drums and trumpets, 
and a destructive discharge of firearms. The Indians 
were struck with panic. An army seemed pressing upon 
them from every quarter. Many were slain by the balls 
of the arquebuses, which seemed to burst with thunder 
and lightning from the forests. In the height of their 
confusion Alonzo de Ojeda charged impetuously on their 
main body with his cavalry, bearing down and trampling 
them under foot, and dealing deadly blows with lance 
and sword. The bloodhounds were, at the same time, 
let loose, and rushed upon the naked savages, seizing 
them by the throat, dragging them to the earth, and 
tearing out their bowels. The battle, if such it might be 




ATTACK ON NATIVES IN TREES. 
From Hcrrera's "History of the Ifest /«,//Vj." 



194 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

called, was of short duration. The Indians, overwhelmed, 
fled in every direction, with yells and howlings. Some 
clambered to the tops of rocks and precipices, from 
whence they made piteous supplications and promises of 
submission. Many were slain, many made prisoners, and 
the confederacy was, for the time, completely broken up. 

Guacanagari had accompanied the Spaniards into the 
field, but he was little more than a spectator of the battle. 
His participation in the hostilities of the white men, 
however, was never forgiven by the other caciques ; and 
he returned to his dominions, followed by the hatred and 
execrations of his countrymen. 

Columbus followed up his victory by making a military 
tour through various parts of the island, which were soon 
reduced to subjection. He then exercised what he con- 
'sidered the right of a conqueror, and imposed tributes 
on the vanquished provinces. In those which possessed 
mines, each individual above the age of fourteen years 
was obliged to render, every three months, the measure 
of a Flemish hawk's bell of gold dust.* The caciques 
had to pay a much larger amount for their personal 
tribute. Manicaotex, the brother of Caonabo, rendered 
in, every three months, half a calabash of gold. In those 
provinces which produced no gold, each individual was 
obliged to furnish twenty-five pounds of cotton every three 
months, A copper medal, suspended about the neck, 
was a proof that an Indian had paid his tribute; any one 
found without such a certificate was liable to arrest and 
punishment. Various fortresses were erected in the most 
important places, so as to keep the Indians in complete 
subjection. 

In this way the yoke of servitude was fixed upon the 
island, and its thraldom completely insured. Deep de- 

* Equal in value to fifteen dollars of the present time. 






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196 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

spair now fell upon the natives, for they found a perpetual 
task inflicted upon them, enforced at stated and fre- 
quently recurring periods. Weak and indolent by nature, 
and brought up in the untasked idleness of their soft 
climate and their fruitful groves, death itself seemed 
preferable to a life of toil and anxiety. They saw no 
end to this harassing evil, which had so suddenly fallen 
upon them ; no prospect of return to that roving inde- 
pendence and ample leisure, so dear to the wild inhabit- 
ant of the forest. The pleasant life of the island was at 
an end — the dream in the shade by day; the slumber, 
during the sultry noontide heat, by the fountain or the 
stream, or under the spreading palm-tree; and the song, 
the dance, and the game in the mellow evening, when 
summoned to their simple amusements by the rude 
Indian drum. Or, if they occasionally indulged in a 
national dance after a day of painful toil, the ballads to 
which they kept time were of a melancholy and plaintive 
character. They spoke of the times that were past, 
before the white men had introduced sorrow and slavery, 
and weary labor among them ; and they rehearsed proph- 
ecies pretended to be handed down from their ances- 
tors, foretelling that strangers should come into their 
island, clothed in apparel, with swords capable of cleav- 
ing a man asunder at a blow, under whose yoke their race 
should be subdued and pass away. These ballads, or 
areytos, they sang with mournful tunes and doleful 
voices, bewailing the loss of their liberty and their pain- 
ful servitude. 

They had flattered themselves, for a time, that the 
visit of the strangers would be but temporary, and that, 
spreading their ample sails, their ships would soon waft 
them back to their home in the sky. In their simplicity 
they had repeatedly inquired of the Spaniards when they 



, 111 



FATE OF GUACANAGARI. 1 9? 

intended to return to Turey, or the heavens. All such 
hope was now at an end ; and, finding how vain was 
every attempt to deliver themselves from their invaders 
by warlike means, they now resorted to a forlorn and 
desperate alternative. Knowing that the Spaniards de- 
pended, in a great measure, for subsistence on the sup- 
plies which they furnished them, they endeavored to 
produce a famine. Vov this purpose, they destroyed 
their fields of maize, stripped the trees of their fruit, 
pulled up the yuca and other roots, and tiicn fled to the 
mountains. 

The Spaniards were indeed reduced to much distress, 
but were partially relieved by supplies from Spain. They 
pursued the natives to their mountain retreats, hunting 
them from one dreary fastness to another, until thousands 
perished in dens and caverns, of famine and sickness, and 
the survivors, yielding themselves up in despair, sub- 
mitted humbly to the yoke. So deep an awe did they 
conceive of their conquerors, that it is said a Spaniard 
might go singly and securely all over the island, and the 
natives would even transport him from place to place on 
their shoulders. 

Before passing on to other events, it may be proper 
here to notice the fate of Guacanagari, as he makes no 
further appearance in the course of this history. His 
friendship for the Spaniards severed him from his coun- 
trymen, but it did not exonerate him from the general 
woes of the island. At a time when Columbus was absent 
the Spaniards exacted a tribute from him, which his 
people, with the common repugnance to labor, found it 
difficult and distressing to pay. Unable to bear the mur- 
murs of his subjects, the hostilities of his fellow caciques, 
the extortions of his ungrateful allies, and the sight of 
the various miseries which he felt as if he had invoked 



19^ THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

upon his race, he retired to the mountains, where it is said 
he died obscurely and in misery. 

An attempt has been made by a Spanish historian to 
defame the character of this Indian prince ; but it is not 
for Spaniards to excuse their own ingratitude by casting 
a stigma upon his name. He appears to have always 
manifested towards tiiem that true friendship which 
shines brightest in the dark days of adversity. He might 
have played a nobler part, in making a stand, with his 
brother caciques, to drive those intruders from his na- 
tive soil ; but he appears to have been blinded by his 
admiration of them, and his personal attachment to Co- 
lumbus. He was bountiful, hospitable, affectionate, and 
kind-hearted ; competent to rule a gentle and unwarlike 
people in the happier days of the island, but unfitted, 
through the mildness of his nature, for the stern turmoil 
which followed the arrival of the white men. 



CHAPTER XXVH. 

ARRIVAL OF THE COMMISSIONER AGUADO. — DISCOVERY 
OF THE GOLD MINES OF HAYNA. [1495.] 

While Columbus was endeavoring to remedy the 
evils produced by the misconduct of Margarite and his 
followers, that recreant commander, and his politic coad- 
jutor Friar Boyle, were busily undermining his reputation 
in the court of Spain. They accused him of deceiving 
the sovereigns and the public by extravagant descrip- 
tions of the countries he had discovered ; and of tyranny 
and oppression towards the colonists, compelling exces- 
sive labor during a time of sickness and debility ; infhct- 



MALICE OF MARGARITE. 1 99 

ing severe punishments for the most trifling offence, and 
heaping indignities on Spanish gentlemen of rank. They 
said nothing, however, of the exigencies which had called 
for unusual labor; nor of the idleness and profligacy of 
the commonalty, which called for coercion and chastise- 
ment ; nor of the contumacy and cabals of the cava- 
liers, who hail been treated with indulgence rather than 
severity. These representations, being supported by 
nian\- factious and discontented idlers who had returned 
from the colony, and enforced by people of rank con- 
nected with the cavaliers, had a baneful effect upon 
the popularity of Columbus, and his favor with the 
sovereigns. 

About this time a measure was adopted which shows 
the declining influence of the Admiral. A proclamation 
was made on the loth of April, giving general permis- 
sion to native-born subjects to settle in the island of 
Hispaniola, and to go on private voyages of discovery 
and traflic to the New World. They were to pay certain 
proportions of lluir profits to the Crown, and to be sub- 
ject to certain regulations. The privilege of an eighth 
part of the tonnage was likewise secured to Columbus, as 
Admiral ; but he felt himself exceedingly aggrieved at 
this permission being granted without his knowledge or 
consent, considering it an infringement of his rights, and 
a measure likely to disturb the course of regular dis- 
covery by the licentious and predatory enterprises of 
reckless adventurers. 

The arrival of the ships commanded by Torres, bring- 
ing accounts of the voyage along the southern coasts of 
Cuba, supposed to be llie continent of Asia, and speci- 
mens of the gold and the vegetable and animal produc- 
tions of the country, counterbalanced in some degree 
these unfavorable representations of Margarite and 



200 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

Boyle. Still it was determined to send out a commis- 
sioner to inquire into the alleged distress of the colony 
and the conduct of Columbus, and one Juan Aguado 
was appointed for the purpose. He had already been 
to Hispaniola, and on returning had been strongly 
recommended to royal favor by Columbus. In appoint- 
ing a person, therefore, for whom the Admiral appeared 
to have a regard, and who was under obligations to him, 
the sovereigns thought, perhaps, to soften the harshness 
of the measure. 

As to the five hundred slaves sent home in the ships 
of Torres, Isabella ordered a consultation of pious theo- 
logians to determine whether, having been taken in war- 
fare, their sale as slaves would be justifiable in the sight 
of God. Much difference of opinion arose among the 
divines on this important question ; whereupon the queen 
decided it according to the dictates of her conscience 
and her heart, and ordered that the Indians should be 
taken back to their native country. 

Juan de Aguado set sail from Spain towards the end 
of August, with four caravels freighted with supplies, and 
Don Diego Columbus returned in this squadron to His- 
paniola. Aguado was one of those weak men whose 
heads are turned by the least elevation. Though under 
obligations to Columbus, he forgot them all, and forgot 
even the nature and extent of his own commission. 
Finding Columbus absent in the interior of the island, 
on his arrival, he acted as if the reins of government had 
been transferred into his hands. He paid no respect to 
Don Bartholomew, who had been placed in command by 
his brother during his absence, but proclaiming his letter 
of credence by sound of trumpet, he proceeded to arrest 
various public officers, to call others to rigorous account, 
and to invite every one who had wrongs or grievances 



MEETING OF AG U A DO AND COLUMBUS. 20I 

to complain of, to come forward boldly and make them 
known, lie already regarded Columbus as a criminal, 
and intimated, and perhaps thought, that he was keeping 
at a distance through fear of his investigations. He 
even talked of setting off at the head of a body of horse 
to arrest him. The whole community was in confusion ; 
the downfall of the family of Columbus was considered 
as arrived, and some thought the Admiral would lose his 
head. 

The news of the arrival and of the insolent conduct of 
Aguado reached Columbus in the interior of the island, 
and he immediately hastened to Isabella to give him a 
meeting. As every one knew the lofty spirit of Colum- 
bus, his high sense of his services, and his jealous mainte- 
nance of his ofificial dignity, a violent explosion was an- 
ticipated at the impending interview. The natural heat 
and impetuosity of Columbus, however, had been sub- 
dued by a life of trials, and he had learnt to bring his 
passions into subjection to his judgment ; he had too 
true an estimate of his own dignity to enter into a 
contest with a shallow boaster like Aguado : above all, 
he had a profound reverence for the authority of his 
sovereigns ; for, in his enthusiastic spirit, prone to deep 
feelings of reverence, loyalty was inferior only to religion. 
He received Aguado, therefore, with the most grave and 
punctilious courtesy, ordered his letter of credence to be 
again proclaimed by sound of trumpet, and assured him 
of his readiness to acquiesce in whatever might be the 
pleasure of his sovereigns. 

The moderation of Columbus was regarded by many, 
and by Aguado himself, as a proof of his loss of moral 
courage. Every dastard spirit who had any lurking ill 
will, any real or imaginary cause of complaint, now has- 
tened to give it utterance. It was a time of jubilee U^r 



202 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

offenders; every culprit started up into an accuser; 
every one who by negligence or crime had incurred the 
wholesome penalties of the laws was loud in his clamors 
of oppression ; and all the ills of the colony, however 
produced, were ascribed to the maladministration of the 
Admiral. 

Aguado listened to every accusation with ready cre- 
dulity, and having collected information sufficient, as he 
thought, to insure the ruin of the Admiral and his broth- 
ers, prepared to return to Spain. Columbus resolved to 
do the same ; for he felt that it was time to appear at 
court, to vindicate his conduct from the misrepresenta- 
tions of his enemies and to explain the causes of the dis- 
tresses of the colony, and of the disappointments with 
respect to revenue, which he feared might discourage the 
prosecution of his discoveries. 

When the ships were ready to depart, a terrible storm 
swept the island ; it was one of those awful whirlwinds 
which occasionally rage within the tropics, and which 
were called " Uricans " by the Indians, a name which they 
still retain. Three of the ships at anchor in the harbor 
were sunk by it, with all who were on board ; others 
were dashed against each other, and driven mere wrecks 
upon the shore. The Indians were overwhelmed with 
astonishment and dismay, for never in their memory, or 
in the traditions of their ancestors, had they known so 
tremendous a storm. They believed that the Deity had 
sent it in punishment of the cruelties and crimes of the 
white men, and declared that this people moved the very 
air, the water, and the earth to disturb their tranquil life, 
and to desolate their island. 

The departure of Columbus, and of Aguado, was 
delayed until one of the shattered vessels, the " Niiia,'" 
could be repaired, and another constructed out of the 




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204 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

fragments of the wrecks. In the meantime, information 
was received of rich mines in the interior of the island. 
A young Arragonian, named Miguel Diaz, in the service 
of the adelantado, having wounded a companion in a 
quarrel, fled from the settlement, accompanied by five or 
six comrades, who had either been engaged in the affray, 
or were personally attached to liim. Wandering about 
the island, they at length came to an Indian village, on 
the banks of the Ozema, where the city of San Domingo 
is at present situated ; they were received with kindness 
by the natives, and resided for some time among them. 
The village was governed by a female cacique, who soon 
conceived a strong affection for the young Arragonian. 
A connection was formed between them, and they lived 
for some time very happily together. At length the 
remembrance of his country and his friends began to 
haunt the mind of the Spaniard ; he longed to return to 
the settlement, but dreaded the austere justice of the ade- 
lantado. His Indian bride, observing him frequently lost 
in gloomy thought, drew from him the cause of his melan- 
choly. Fearful that he would abandon her, and knowing 
the influence of gold over the white men, she informed 
him of certain rich mines in the neighborhood, and urged 
him to persuade his countrymen to abandon Isabella, 
and remove to that part of the island, to the fertile banks 
of the Ozema, promising that they should be hospitably 
received by her nation. 

Diaz was rejoiced at this intelligence, and hastened 
with it to the settlement, flattering himself that it would 
make his peace with the adelantado. He was not mis- 
taken. No tidings could have come more opportunely, 
for, if true, they would furnish the Admiral with the most 
effectual means of silencing the cavils of his enemies. 

The adelantado immediately set out in company with 



DISCOVERY OF GOLD. 205 

Diaz and his Indian guides. He was conducted to the 
banks of a river called the Hayna, where he found gold 
in greater quantities and larger particles than even in I he 
rich province of Cibao, and observed several excavations, 
where it appeared as if mines had been worked in ancient 
times. Columbus was overjoyed at the sight of these 
specimens, brought back by the adelantado, and was 
surprised to hear of the excavations, as the Indians 
possessed no knowledge of mining, and merely picked up 
the gold from the surface of the soil or the beds of the 
rivers. The circumstance gave rise to one of liis usual 
veins of visionary speculation. 1 Ic had already surmised 
that Hispaniola might be the ancient Ophir; he now 
fancied he had discovered the identical mines from 
whence King Solomon had procured his great supplies of 
gold for the building of the temple of Jerusalem. He 
gave orders that a fortress should be immediately erected 
in the vicinity of the mines, and that they should be 
diligently worked ; and he now looked forward w ith 
confidence to his return to Spain, the bearer of such 
golden tidings. 

It may not be uninteresting to mention that Miguel 
Diaz remained faithful to his Indian bride, who was 
baptized by the name of Catalina. They were regularly 
married and had two children. 



CHAPTER XXVm. 

RETURN OF COLUMBUS TO SPAIN.— TRKPARATIONS FOR 
A THIRD VOYAGE. [1496.] 

The new caravel, the " Santa Cruz," being finished, and 
the " Nifia " repaired, Columbus gave the command of the 



LEAVES FOR SPAIN. 20y 

island during liis absence to his brother, Don Bartholo- 
mew, with the title of adelantado. He then embarked 
on board of one of the caravels, and Aguado in the other. 
The vessels were crowded with two hundred and twenty- 
five passengers, the sick, the idle, the profligate and fac- 
tious of the colony. Never did a more miserable and 
disappointed crew return from a land of promise. 

There were thirty Indians also on board, and among 
them the once redoubtable Caonabo, together with one 
of his brothers and a nephew. The Admiral had prom- 
ised to restore them to their country and their power, 
after having presented them to the sovereigns ; trusting, 
by kind treatment and a display of the wonders of Spain, 
to conquer their hostility, and convert them into impor- 
tant instruments for the quiet subjugation of the island. 

Being as yet but little experienced in the navigation of 
these seas, Columbus, instead of working up to the north- 
ward, so as to fall in with the tract of westerly winds, 
took an easterly course on leaving the island. His 
voyage, in consequence, became a toilsome and tedious 
struggle against the trade winds and calms which prevail 
between the tropics. Though he sailed on the loth of 
March, yet on the 6th of April he was still in the vicinity 
of the Caribbee Islands, and had to touch at Guadaloupe 
to procure provisions. Here skirmishes occurred with the 
fierce natives, both male and female; for the women were 
perfect amazons, of large and powerful frame and great 
agility. Several of the latter were taken prisoners; they 
were naked, and wore their hair loose and flowing upon 
their shoulders, though some decorated their heads with 
tufts of feathers. Their weapons were bows and arrows. 
Alnong them was the wife of a cacique, a woman of a proud 
and resolute spirit. On the approach of the Spaniards 
she had fled with an agility that soon distanced all i)ur- 



208 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

suers, excepting a native of the Canary Islands, noted for 
swiftness of foot. She would have escaped even from 
him, but perceiving that he was alone, and far from his 
companions, she suddenly turned upon him, seized him 
by the throat, and would have strangled him, had not the 
Spaniards arrived and taken her, entangled like a hawk 
with her prey. 

When Columbus departed from the island he dismissed 
all the prisoners with presents. The female cacique alone 
refused to go on shore. She had conceived a passion for 
Caonabo, having found out that he was a Carib, and she 
had been won by the story, gathered from the other 
Indians, of his great valor and his misfortunes. In the 
course of the voyage, however, the unfortunate Caonabo 
expired. He maintained his haughty nature to the last, 
for his death is principally ascribed to the morbid melan- 
choly of a proud but broken spirit. His fate furnishes, 
on a narrow scale, a picture of the fallacy of human great- 
ness. When the Spaniards first arrived on the coast of 
Hayti, their imaginations were inflamed with rumors of a 
magnificent prince among the mountains, the Lord of the 
Golden House, the sovereign of the mines of Cibao ; but 
a short time had elapsed, and he was a naked and moody 
prisoner on the deck of one of their caravels, with none 
but one of his own wild native heroines to sympathize in 
his misfortunes. All his importance vanished with his 
freedom ; scarce any mention is made of him during his 
captivity ; and with innate qualities of a high and heroic 
nature, he perished with the obscurity of one of the 
vulgar. 

Columbus left Guadaloupe on the 20th of April, still 
working his way against the whole current of the trade 
winds. By the 20th of May but a portion of the voyage 
was performed, yet the provisions were so much exhaust- 



LANDING AT CADIZ. 209 

cd that every one was put on an allowance of six ounces 
of bread, and a pint and a half of water. By the begin- 
ning of June there was an absolute famine on board of 
the ships, and some proposed that they should kill and 
eat their Indian prisoners, or throw them into the sea as 
so many useless mouths. Nothing but the absolute 
authority of Columbus prevented this last counsel from 
being adopted. He represented that the Indians were 
their fellow-beings, some of them Christians like them- 
selves, and all entitled to similar treatment. He exhort- 
ed them to a little patience, assuring them they would 
soon make land, as, according to his reckoning, they could 
not be far from Cape St. Vincent. They scoffed at his 
words, for they believed themselves as yet far from their 
desired haven. The next morning, however, proved the 
correctness of his calculations, for they made the very 
land he had predicted. 

On the I ith of June the vessels anchored in the Bay of 
Cadiz. The populace crowded to witness the landing of 
the gay and bold adventurers, who had sailed from this 
very port animated by the most sanguine expectations. 
Instead, however, of a joyous crew, bounding on shore, 
flushed with success, and rich with the spoils of the 
golden Indies, a feeble train of wretched men crawled 
forth, emaciated by the diseases of the colony and the 
hardships of the voyage ; who carried in their yellow 
countenances, says an old writer, a mockery of that gokl 
which had been the object of their search; and who had 
nothing to relate of the New World but tales of sickness, 
poverty, and disappointment. 

The appearance of Columbus himself was a kind of 
comment on his fortunes. Either considering himself in 
disgrace with the sovereigns, or having made some peni- 
tential vow, he was clad in the habit of a Franciscan 

14 



2IO THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

monk, girded with a cord, and he had suffered his 
beard to grow like the friars of that order. But however 
humble he might be in his own personal appearance, he 
endeavored to keep alive the public interest in his dis- 
coveries. On his way to Burgos, to meet the sovereigns, 
he made a studious display of the coronets, collars, 
bracelets, and other ornaments of gold which he had 
brought from the New World. He carried with him, also, 
several Indians, decorated with glittering ornaments, and 
among them the brother of Caonabo, on whom he put a 
massive collar and chain of gold, weighing six. hundred 
castillanos,* as being cacique of the golden country of 
Cibao. 

The reception of Columbus by the sovereigns was 
different from what he had anticipated, for he was 
treated with distinguished favor; nor was any mention 
made either of the complaints of Margarite and Boyle, or 
the judicial inquiries conducted by Aguado. However 
these may have had a transient effect upon the minds 
of the sovereigns, they were too conscious of his great 
deserts, and of the extraordinary difficulties of his situa- 
tion, not to tolerate what they may have considered 
errors on his part. 

Encouraged by the interest with which the sovereigns 
listened to his account of his recent voyage along the 
coast of Cuba, bordering, as he supposed, on the rich 
territories of the Grand Khan, and of his discovery of 
the mines of Hayna, which he failed not to represent as 
the Ophir of the ancients, Columbus now proposed a 
further enterprise, by which he promised to make yet 
more extensive discoveries, and to annex a vast and un- 
appropriated portion of the continent of Asia to their 
dominions. All he asked was eight ships, two to be 

* Equivalent to 3,195 dollars of the present time. 







< 






212 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

dispatched to Hispaniola with supplies, the remaining 
six to be put under his command for the voyage. 

The sovereigns readily promised to comply with his 
request, and were probably sincere in their intentions to 
do so ; but in the performance of their promise Colum- 
bus was doomed to meet with intolerable delay. The 
resources of Spain at this moment were tasked to the 
utmost by the ambition of P'erdinand, who lavished all 
his revenues in warlike enterprises. While maintaining 
a contest of deep and artful policy with France, with the 
ultimate aim of grasping the sceptre of Naples, he was 
laying the foundation of a wide and powerful connection 
by the marriages of the royal children, who were now 
maturing in years. At this time rose that family alliance 
which afterwards consolidated such an immense empire 
under his grandson and successor, Charles the Fifth. 

These widely extended operations both of war and 
amity put all the land and naval forces into requisition, 
drained the royal treasury, and engrossed the time and 
thoughts of the sovereigns. It was not until the spring 
of 1497 that Isabella could find leisure to enter fully into 
the concerns of the New World. She then took them 
up with a spirit that showed she was determined to place 
them upon a substantial foundation, as well as clearly to 
define the powers and reward the services of Columbus. 
To her protecting zeal all the provisions in favor of the 
latter must be attributed, for the king began to look 
coldly on him, and Fonseca, who had most influence 
in the affairs of the Indies, was his implacable enemy. 
As the expenses of the expeditions had hitherto exceed- 
ed the returns, Columbus was relieved of his eighth part 
of the cost of the past enterprises and allowed an eighth 
part of the gross proceeds for the next three years, and 
a tenth of the net profits. He was allowed also to 



«9ll 



PREPARING FOR A THIRD VOYAGE. 213 

establish a mayorazgo, or entailed estate, in his family, 
of which he immediately availed himself, devising his 
estates to his male descendants, with the express charge 
that his successor should never use any other title in 
signature than simply " The Admiral." As he had felt 
aggrieved by the royal license for general discovery, 
granted in 1495, it was annulled as far as it might be 
prejudicial to his interests, or to the previous grants 
made him by the Crown. The titles and prerogatives of 
adelantado were likewise conferred upon Don Barthol- 
omew, though the king had at first been displeased with 
Columbus for investing his brother with dignities which 
were only in the gift of the sovereign. 

While all these measures were taken for the immediate 
gratification of Columbus, others were adopted for the 
good of the colony. The precise number of persons was 
fixed who were to be sent to Hispaniola, among whom 
were several females; and regulations were made for 
their payment and support, and for the distribution of 
lands among them, to be diligently cultivated. The 
greatest care was enjoined likewise by Isabella in the 
religious instruction of the natives, and the utmost lenity 
in collecting the tributes imposed upon them. With 
respect to the government of the colony, also, it was 
generally recommended that, whenever the public safety 
did not require stern measures, there should be mani- 
fested a disposition to indulgent and easy rule. 

When every intention was thus shown on the part of 
the Crown to dispatch the expedition, unexpected diffi- 
culties arose on the part of the public. The charm was 
dispelled which, in the preceding voyage, had made 
every adventurer crowd into the service of Columbus; 
the new-found world, instead of a region of wealth and 
enjoyment, was now considered a land uf poverty and 



214 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

disaster. To supply the want of voluntary recruits, 
therefore, Columbus proposed to transport to Hispaniola, 
for a limited term of years, all criminals condemned to 
banishment or the galleys, excepting such as had com- 
mitted crimes of an atrocious nature. This pernicious 
measure shows the desperate alternative to which he was 
reduced by the reaction of public sentiment. It proved 
a fruitful source of misery and disaster to the colony; 
and having frequently been adopted by various nations, 
v/hose superior experience should have taught them 
better, has proved the bane of many a rising settlement. 

Notwithstanding all these expedients, and the urgent 
representations of Columbus of the sufferings to which 
the colony must be reduced for want of supplies, it was 
not until the beginning of 1498 that the two ships were 
dispatched to Hispaniola, under the command of Pedro 
Fernandez Coronal. A still further delay occurred in 
fitting out the six ships that were to bear Columbus on 
his voyage of discovery. His cold-blooded enemy Fon- 
seca, who was now Bishop of Badajoz, having the super- 
intendence of Indian affairs, was enabled to impede and 
retard all his plans. The various officers and agents 
employed in the concerns of the armament were most 
of them dependents and minions of the bishop, and 
sought to gratify him by throwing all kinds of difficulties 
in the way of Columbus, treating him with that arro- 
gance which petty and ignoble men in place are prone to 
exercise, when they think they can do so with impunity. 
So wearied and disheartened did he become by these 
delays, and by the prejudices of the fickle public, that 
he at one time thought of abandoning his discoveries 
altogether. 

The insolence of these worthless men harassed him to 
the last moment of his sojourn in Spain, and followed 



INSOLENCE OF XIMENO. 2-15 

him to the water's edge. One of the most noisy and 
presuming was one Ximcno de Breviesca, treasurer of 
Fonseca, a converted Jew or Moor, and a man of impu- 
dent front and unbridled tongue, who, echoing the senti- 
ment of his patron the bishop, had been loud in his abuse 
of the Admiral and his enterprises. 

At the very time that Columbus was on the point of 
embarking, he was assailed by the insolence of this 
Ximeno. Forgetting, in the hurry and indignation of 
the moment, his usual self-command, lie struck the des- 
picable minion to the earth, and spurned him with his 
foot, venting in this unguarded paroxysm the accumu- 
lated griefs and vexations which had long rankled in his 
heart. This transport of passion, so unusual in his well- 
governed temper, was artfully made use of by Fonseca 
and others of his enemies, to injure him in the royal 
favor. The personal castigation of a public ofificer 
was represented as a flagrant instance of his vindictive 
temper, and a corroboration of the charges of cruelty 
and oppression sent home from the colony ; and we are 
assured that certain humiliating measures, shortly after- 
wards adopted towards him, were in consequence of the 
effect produced upon the sovereigns by these misrep- 
resentations. Columbus himself deeply regretted his 
indiscretion, and foresaw the invidious use that would 
be made of it. It would be difficult to make, with equal 
brevity, a more direct and affecting appeal than that 
contained in one of his letters, wherein he alludes to 
this affair. He entreats the sovereigns not to let it be 
wrested to his injury in their opinion ; but to remember, 
when anything should be said to his disparagement, that 
he was " absent, envied, and a stranger." 



2l6 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 



CHAPTER XXIX. 

DISCOVERY OF TRINIDAD AND THE COAST OF PARIA. — 
ARRIVAL AT SAN DOMINGO. [1498.J 

On the 30th of May, 1498, Columbus set sail from the 
port of San Lucar de Barrameda, with a squadron of six 
vessels, on his third voyage of discovery. From various 
considerations, he was induced to take a different route 
from that pursued in his former expeditions. He had 
been assured, by persons who had traded to the East, 
that the rarest objects of commerce, such as gold, 
precious stones, drugs, and spices, were chiefly to be 
found in the regions about the equator, where the in- 
habitants were black or darkly colored ; and that, until 
he arrived among people of such complexions, it was not 
probable he would find those articles in great abundance. 

Columbus expected to find such people more to the 
south and southeast. He recollected that the natives 
of Hispaniola had spoken of black men who had once 
come to their island from the south, the heads of whose 
javelins were of guanin, or adulterated gold. The natives 
of the Caribbee Islands, also, had informed him that a 
great tract of the mainland lay to the south ; and in his 
preceding voyage he had remarked that Cuba, which he 
supposed to be the continent of Asia, swept off in that 
direction. He proposed, therefore, to take his departure 
from the Cape de Verde Islands, sailing to the southwest 
until he should come under the equinoctial line, then to 
steer directly westward, with the favor of the trade winds. 

Having touched at the islands of Porto Santo and 
Madeira, to take in wood and water, he continued his 



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2l8 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

course to the Canary Islands, from whence he dispatched 
three of his ships direct for Hispaniola, with supplies for 
the colony. With the remaining three he prosecuted his 
voyage towards the Cape de Verde Islands. The ship 
in which he sailed was decked, the other two were mer- 
chant caravels. As he advanced within the tropics, the 
change of climate and the close and sultry weather 
brought on a severe attack of the gout, accompanied by 
a violent fever; but he still enjoyed the full possession 
of his faculties, and continued to keep his reckoning 
and make his observations with his usual vigilance and 
minuteness. 

On the 5th of July he took his departure from the Cape 
de Verde Islands, and steered to the southwest until he 
arrived, according to his observations, in the fifth degree 
of north latitude. Here the wind suddenly fell, and a 
dead, sultry calm succeeded. The air was like a furnace, 
the tar melted from the sides of the ships, the seams 
yawned, the salt meat became putrid, the wheat was 
parched as if with fire, some of the wine and water casks 
burst, and the heat in the holds of the vessels was so suf- 
focating that no one could remain below to prevent the 
damage that was taking place among the sea stores. The 
mariners lost all strength and spirits. It seemed as if the 
old fable of the torrid zone was about to be realized, and 
that they were approaching a fiery region where it would 
be impossible to exist. It is true, the heavens became 
overcast, and there were drizzling showers, but the at- 
mosphere was close and stifling, and there was that 
combination of heat and moisture which relaxes all the 
energies of the human frame. 

A continuation of this weather, together with the re- 
monstrances of his crew, and his extreme suffering from 
the gout, ultimately induced him to alter his route, and 



COASTING ALONG TRINIDAD. 219 

stand to the northwest, in hopes of falh'ng in with the 
Caribbee Islands, where he might repair his ships, and 
obtain water and provisions. After saiHng some distance 
in this direction, through an ordeal of heats and calms, 
and murky, stifling atmosphere, the ships all at once 
emerged into a genial region ; a pleasant, cooling breeze 
played over the sea, and gently filled their sails; the sky 
became serene and clear, and the sun shone forth with all 
its splendor, but no longer with a burning heat. 

On the 31st of July, when there was not above a cask 
of water remaining in each ship, a mariner, named Alonzo 
Perez, descried, from the masthead, three mountains ris- 
ing above the horizon. As the ships drew nearer, these 
mountains proved to be united at the base. Columbus, 
therefore, from a religious association of ideas, gave this 
island the name of La Trinidad, which it continues to bear 
at the present day. 

Shaping his course for this island, he approached its 
eastern extremity, to which he gave the name of Punta 
de Galera, from a rock in the sea which resembled a gal- 
ley under sail. He then coasted along the southern shore, 
between Trinidad and the mainland, which he beheld on 
the south, stretching to the distance of more than twenty 
leagues. It was that low tract of coast intersected by the 
numerous branches of the Orinoco, but the Admiral, sup- 
posing it to be an island, gave it the name of La Isla 
Santa ; little imagining that he now, for the first time, 
beheld that continent, that Terra Firma, which had been 
the object of his earnest search. 

He was for several days coasting the island of Trini- 
dad, and exploring the great Gulf of Paria, which lies be- 
hind it, fancying himself among islands, and that he must 
find a passage to the open ocean by keeping to the bot- 
tom of the gulf. During this time he was nearly swept 



220 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

from his anchors and thrown on shore by a sudden rush 
and swell of the sea, near Point Arenal, between Trinidad 
and the mainland, caused, as is supposed, by the swelling 
of one of the rivers which flow into the fjulf. He landed 
on the inside of the long promontory of Paria, which he 
mistook for an island, and had various interviews with the 
natives, from whom he procured great quantities of pearls, 
many of a fine size and quality. 

There were several phenomena that surprised and 
perplexed Columbus in the course of his voyage along 
this coast, and which gave rise to speculations, some in- 
genious and others fanciful. He was astonished at the 
vast body of fresh water continually flowing into the gulf 
of Paria, so as apparently to sweeten the whole surround- 
ing sea, and at the constant current which set through it, 
which he supposed to be produced by some great river. 
He remarked, with wondering, also, the difference be- 
tween the climate, vegetation, and people of these coasts, 
and those of the same parallel in Africa. There the heat 
was insupportable and the land parched and sterile, the 
inhabitants were black, with crisped wool, ill-shapen, and 
of dull and brutal natures. Here, on the contrary, al- 
though the sun was in Leo, he found the noontide heat 
moderate, the mornings and evenings fresh and cool, the 
country green and fruitful, covered with beautiful forests 
and watered by innumerable streams and fountains ; the 
people fairer than even those in the lands he had discov- 
ered further north, with long hair, well proportioned and 
graceful forms, lively minds, and courageous spirits. In 
respect to the vast body of fresh water, he made one of 
his simple and great conclusions. Such a mighty stream 
could not be produced by an island ; it must be the out- 
pouring of a continent. He now supposed that the va- 
rious tracts of land which he had beheld about the gulf 




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222 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

were connected together, and continued to an immense 
distance to the south, far beyond the equator, into that 
hemisphere hitherto unknown to civilized man. As to 
the mild temperature of the climate, the fresh verdure of 
the country, and the comparative fairness of the inhabit- 
ants, in a parallel so near to the equator, he attributed 
it to the superior elevation of this part of the globe; for, 
from a variety of circumstances, ingeniously but errone- 
ously reasoned upon, he inferred that philosophers had 
been mistaken in the form of the earth, which, instead of 
being a perfect sphere, he now concluded to be shaped 
like a pear, one part more elevated than the rest, rising 
into the purer regions of the air, above the heats and 
frosts and storms of the lower parts of the earth. He 
imagined this apex to be situated about the equinoctial 
line, in the interior of this vast continent, which he con- 
sidered the extremity of the East ; that on this summit, 
as it were, of the earth was situated the terrestrial para- 
dise ; and that the vast stream of fresh water which 
poured into the Gulf of Paria issued from the fountain of 
the tree of life, in the midst of the Garden of Eden. Ex- 
travagant as this speculation may seem at the present 
day, it was grounded on the writings of the most sage 
and learned men of those times, among whom the situa- 
tion of the terrestrial paradise had long been a subject 
of discussion and controversy, and by several of whom it 
was supposed to be on a vast mountain, in the remote 
parts of the East. 

The mind of Columbus was so possessed by these the- 
ories, and he was so encouraged by the quantities of 
pearls which he had met with, for the first time in the 
New World, that he would gladly have followed up his dis- 
covery, not doubting but that the country would increase 
in the value of its productions as he approached the equa- 



LEAVES TRIXIDAD. 233 

tor. The sea stores of his ships, however, were almost 
exhausted, and the various supplies with which they were 
freighted for the colony were in danger of spoiling. He 
was suffering, also, extremely in his health. Besides the 
gout, which had rendered him a cripple for the greater 
part of the voyage, he was afflicted by a comphiint in 
his eyes, caused by fatigue and over-watching, which al- 
most deprived him of sight. He determined, therefore, 
to hasten to Hispaniola, intending to repose there from 
his fatigues, and recruit his health, while he should send 
his brother, the adelantado, to complete this important 
discovery. 

On the 14th of August, therefore, he left the gulf, by a 
narrow strait between the promontory of Paria and the 
Island of Trinidad. This strait is beset with small islands, 
and the current which sets through the gulf is so com- 
pressed between them as to cause a turbulent sea, with 
great foaming and roaring, as if rushing over rocks and 
shoals. The Admiral conceived himself in imminent dan- 
ger of shipwreck when passing through this strait, and 
gave it the name of La Boca del Drago, or the iMouth 
of the Dragon. After reconnoitring the coast to the 
westward, as far as the islands of Cubaga and Margarita, 
and convincing himself of its being a continent, he bore 
away for Hispaniola, for the river Ozema, where he ex- 
pected to find a new settlement, which he had instructed 
his brother to form in the neighborhood of the mines. 
He was borne far to the westward by the currents, but at 
length reached his desired haven, where he arrived, hag- 
gard, emaciated, and almost blind, and was received with 
open arms by the adelantado. The brothers were strong- 
ly attached to each other; Don Bartholomew had a great 
deference for the brilliant genius, the enlarged mind, and 
the commanding reputation of his brother ; while the lat- 



224 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

ter placed great reliance, in times of difificulty, on the 
worldly knowledge, the indefatigable activity, and the 
lion-hearted courage of the adelantado. They had both, 
during their long separation, experienced the need of 
each other's sympathy and support. 



CHAPTER XXX. 

ADMINISTRATION OF THE ADELANTADO. 

Columbus had anticipated a temporary repose from 
his toils on arriving at Hispaniola; but a new scene of 
trouble and anxiety opened upon him, which was des- 
tined to affect all his future fortunes. To explain this, it 
is necessary to state the occurrences of the island during 
his long detention in Spain. 

When he sailed for Europe in March, 1496, his brother, 
Don Bartholomew, immediately proceeded to execute 
his instructions with respect to the gold mines of Hayna. 
He built a fortress in the neighborhood, which he named 
San Christoval, and another fortress not far off, on the 
eastern bank of the Ozema, in the vicinity of the village 
inhabited by the female cacique who had first given in- 
telligence of the mines to Miguel Diaz. This fortress was 
called San Domingo, and was the origin of the city which 
still bears that name. 

Having garrisoned these fortresses, and made arrange- 
ments for working the mines, the indefatigable adelan- 
tado set out to visit the dominions of Behechio, which 
had not as yet been reduced to obedience. This cacique, 
as has been mentioned, reigned over Xaragua, a province 
comprising almost the whole of the west end of the 






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226 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

island, including Cape Tiburon. It was one of the most 
populous and fertile districts. The inhabitants were 
finely formed, had a noble air, a more agreeable elocu- 
tion, and more soft and graceful manners than the natives 
of the other part of the island. The Indians of Hayti 
generally placed their elysium, or paradise of happy 
spirits, in the delightful valleys that bordered the great 
lake of Xaragua. 

With Behechio resided his sister Anacaona, wife of 
the late formidable Caonabo, one of the most beautiful 
females in the island, of great natural grace and dignity, 
and superior intelligence; her name in the Indian lan- 
guage signified Golden Flower. She had taken refuge 
with her brother, after the capture and ruin of her hus- 
band, but appears never to have entertained any vin- 
dictive feelings against the Spaniards, whom she regarded 
with great admiration as almost superhuman beings. On 
the contrary, she counselled her brother, over whom she 
had great influence, to take warning by the fate of her 
husband, and to conciliate their friendship. 

Don Bartholomew entered the province of Xaragua at 
the head of an armed band, putting his cavalry in the 
advance, and marching with banners displayed, and the 
sound of drum and trumpet. Behechio met him with a 
numerous force, but being assured that he came merely 
on a friendly visit, he dismissed his army, and conducted 
the adelantado to his residence in a large town, near the 
deep bay called at present the Bight of Leagon. 

As they approached, thirty young females of the ca- 
cique's household, beautifully formed, came forth to meet 
them, waving palm branches, and dancing, and singing 
their areytos or traditionary ballads. When they came 
before Don Bartholomew they knelt and laid their palm 
branches at his feet. After these came the beautiful 



DON BARTHOLOMEW IN XAKAGUA. 22/ 

Anacaona, rcclinincr on a litter, borne by six Indians. 
She was lightly clad in a robe of various colored cotton, 
with a fragrant garland of red and white flowers round 
her head, and wreaths of the same round her neck and 
arms. She received the adelantado with that natural 
grace and courtesy for which she was celebrated. 

For several days Don Bartholomew remained in Xara- 
gua, entertained by the cacique and his sister with ban- 
quets, national games and dances, and other festivities ; 
then, having arranged for a periodical tribute to be paid 
in cotton, hemp, and cassava bread, the productions of 
the surrounding country, he took a friendly leave of his 
hospitable entertainers, and set out with his little army 
for Isabella. 

He found the settlement in a sickly state, and suffering 
from a scarcity of provisions ; he distributed, therefore, 
all that were too feeble to labor or bear arms into the 
interior, where they might have better air and more abun- 
dant food ; and at the same time he established a chain 
of fortresses between Isabella and San Domingo. Insur- 
rections broke out among the natives of the vega, caused 
by their impatience of tribute, by the outrages of some 
of the Spaniards, and by a severe punishment inflicted on 
certain Indians for the alleged violation of a chapel. 
Guarionex, a man naturally moderate and pacific, was 
persuaded by his brother caciques to take up arms, and a 
combination was formed among them to rise suddenly 
upon the Spaniards, massacre them, and destroy Fort 
Conception, which was situated in the vega. By some 
means the garrison received intimation of the conspiracy. 
They immediately wrote a letter to the adelantado, im- 
ploring prompt assistance. How to convey the letter in 
safety was an anxious question, for the natives had dis- 
covered that these letters had a wonderful power of com- 



228 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

municating intelligence, and fancied that they could talk. 
An Indian undertook to be the bearer of it. He inclosed 
it in a staff, and set out on his journey. Being inter- 
cepted, he pretended to be dumb and lame, leaning upon 
his staff for support. He was suffered to depart, and 
limped forward until out of sight, when he resumed his 
speed, and bore the letter safely and expeditiously to 
San Domingo. 

The adelantado, with his accustomed promptness, set 
out with a body of troops for the fortress. By a rapid 
and well-concerted stratagem he surprised the leaders in 
the night, in a village in which they were sleeping, and 
carried them all off captive, seizing upon Guarionex with 
his own hand. He completed his enterprise with spirit, 
sagacity, and moderation. Informing himself of the par- 
ticulars of the conspiracy, he punished two caciques, the 
principal movers of it, with death, and pardoned all the 
rest. Finding, moreover, that Guarionex had been chiefly 
incited to hostility by an outrage committed by a Span- 
iard on his favorite wife, he inflicted punishment on the 
offender. The heart of Guarionex was subdued by the 
unexpected clemency of the adelantado, and he made a 
speech to his subjects in praise of the Spaniards. They 
listened to him with attention, and when he had con- 
cluded, bore him off on their shoulders with songs and 
shouts of joy, and for some time the tranquillity of the 
vega was restored. 

About this time, receiving information from Behechio, 
cacique of Xaragua, that his tribute in cotton and pro- 
visions was ready for delivery, the adelantado marched 
there, at the head of his forces, to receive it. So large a 
quantity of cotton and cassava bread was collected to- 
gether that Don Bartholomew had to send to the settle- 
ment of Isabella for a caravel to be freighted with it. In 



A'/.VDJVESS OF THE A' A TIVES. 



229 



the meantime, the utmost kindness was lavished upon 
their guests by these gentle and generous people. The 
troubles which distracted the other parts of devoted Hay- 
ti had not yet reached this pleasant region ; and when 
the Spaniards regarded the fertility and sweetness of 
the countr)', bordering on a tranquil sea, the kindness 




NATIVES BRINOINO WOOD AND WATER TO A CARAVEL. 
Redrawn /rotn GoU/rietit's '■^ Newe //V//." 

of the inhabitants, and the beauty of the women, they 
pronounced it a perfect paradise. 

When the caravel arrived on the coast, it was regarded 
bj' Anacaona and her brother with awe and wonder. 
Behechio visited it with his canoes; but his sister, with 
her female attendants, were conveyed on board in the 
boat of the adelantado. As they approached, the cara- 



230 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

vel fired a salute. At the sound of the cannon, and the 
sight of volun:ies of smoke bursting from the side of the 
ship and rolHng along the sea, Anacaona, overcome with 
dismay, fell into the arms of the adelantado, and her 
attendants would have leaped overboard, but were reas- 
sured by the cheerful words of Don Bartholomew. As 
they drew nearer the vessel several instruments of mar- 
tial music struck up, with which they were greatly de- 
lighted. Their admiration increased on entering on 
board ; but when the anchor was weighed, the sails filled 
by a gentle breeze, and they beheld this vast mass veer- 
ing from side to side, apparently by its own will, and 
playing like a huge monster on the deep, the brother and 
sister remained gazing at each other in mute astonish- 
ment. Nothing seems ever to have filled the mind of the 
savage with more wonder than that beautiful triumph of 
human ingenuity — a ship under sail. 

While the adelantado was thus absent quelling insur- 
rections and making skilful arrangements for the pros- 
perity of the colony and the advantage of the Crown, new 
mischiefs were fermenting in the factious settlement of 
Isabella. The prime mover was Francisco Roldan, a 
man who had been raised by Columbus from poverty and 
obscurity, and promoted from one office to another, until 
he had appointed him alcalde mayor, or chief judge of 
the island. He was an uneducated man, but of strong 
natural talents, great assiduity, and intrepid impudence. 
He had seen his benefactor return to Spain apparently 
under a cloud of disgrace, and, considering him a fallen 
man, began to devise how he might profit by his down- 
fall. H-e was intrusted with an office inferior only to that 
of the adelantado; the brothers of Columbus were highly 
unpopular; he imagined it possible to ruin them, both 
with the colonists and with the government at home, and 



SEDITIONS AND ACT OF ROLDAN. 23 1 

by dexterous management to work his way into a com- 
mand of the colony. For this purpose he mingled among 
the common people, threw out suggestions that the 
Admiral was in disgrace, and would never return ; railed 
at the adelantado and Don Diego as foreigners, who took 
no interest in their welfare, but used them merely as 
slaves to build houses and fortresses for them, or to swell 
their state and secure their power, as they marched 
about the island, enriching themselves with the spoils of 
the caciques. By these seditious insinuations he ex- 
asperated their feelings to such a degree that they at one 
time formed a conspiracy to assassinate the adelantado, 
but it was happily disconcerted, by accident. 

When the caravel returned from Xaragua, laden with 
provisions, it was dismantled by order of Don Diego, and 
drawn upon the beach. Roldan immediately seized 
upon this circumstance to awaken new suspicions. He 
said the true reason for dismantling the caravel was to 
prevent any of the colonists returning in it to Spain, to 
represent the oppressions under which they suffered. He 
advised them to launch and take possession of the vessel, 
as the only means of regaining their independence. They 
might then throw off the tyranny of these upstart for- 
eigners, and might lead a life of ease and quiet, employ- 
ing the Indians as slaves, and enjoying unlimited indul- 
gence with respect to the Indian women. 

Don Diego was informed of these seditious movements, 
but he was of a mild, pacific nature, and deficient in 
energy. Fearing to come to an open rupture in the 
mutinous state of the colony, he thought to divert Rol- 
dan from his schemes by giving him distant and active 
employment. He detached him suddenly, therefore, 
with a small force, to overawe the Indians of the vega, 
who had shown a disposition to revolt. Roldan made 



232 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS, 

use of this opportunity to organize an armed faction. 
He soon got seventy well-armed and resolute men at his 
command, disposed to go all desperate lengths with him, 
and he made friends and partisans among the discon- 
tented caciques, promising to free them from tribute. 
He now threw off the mask, and openly set the adelan- 
tado and his brother at defiance, as men who had no 
authority from the Crown, but were appointed by Colum- 
bus, who was himself in disgrace. He pretended always 
to act in his official capacity, and to do everything from 
loyal motives, and every act of open rebellion was accom- 
panied with shouts of "Long live the king!" Having 
endeavored repeatedly to launch the caravel, but in vain, 
he broke open the royal stores, and supplied his followers 
with arms, clothing, and provisions, and then marched off 
to the vega, and attempted to surprise and get possession 
of Fort Conception, but was happily foiled by its com- 
mander, Miguel Ballester, a stanch old soldier, both res- 
olute and wary, who kept the enemy at bay until succor 
should arrive. 

The conspiracy had attained a formidable head during 
the absence of the adelantado, several persons of conse- 
quence having joined it, among whom was Adrian de 
Moxica and Diego de Escobar, the latter being alcalde 
of the fortress of La Madalena. Don Bartholomew was 
perplexed at first, and could not act with his usual vigor 
and decision, not knowing in whom he could confide, or 
how far the conspiracy had extended. On receiving tid- 
ings, however, from Miguel Ballester, of the danger of 
Fort Conception, he threw himself, with what forces he 
could collect, into that fortress, and held a parley with 
Roldan from one of the windows, ordering him to surren- 
der his staff of office as alcalde mayor and submit peacea- 
bly to superior authority. All threats and remonstrances. 



REBELLION OF ROLDAN. 233 

however, were vain ; Roldan persisted in his rcbelHon. 
He represented the adclantado as the tyrant of the Span- 
iards, the oppressor of the Indians ; and himself as the 
redresser of wrongs and champion of the injured. He 
sought, by crafty emissaries, to corrupt the garrison of 
Fort Conception and seduce them to desert, and hiid 
plans to surprise and seize upon the adelantado, should 
he leave the fortress. 

The affairs of the island were now in a lamentable sit- 
uation. The Indians, perceiving the dissensions among 
the Spaniards, and encouraged by the protection of Rol- 
dan, ceased to send in their tributes, and threw off alle- 
giance to the government. Roldan's band daily gained 
strength, and ranged insolently and at large about the 
country ; while the Spaniards who remained loyal, fearing 
conspiracies among the natives, had to keep under shel- 
ter of the forts. Munitions of all kinds were rapidly 
wasting, and the spirits of the well-affected were sink- 
ing into despondency. The adelantado himself remained 
shut up in Fort Conception, doubtful of the fidelity of his 
own garrison, and secretly informed of the plots to cap- 
ture or destroy him, should he venture abroad. Such was 
the desperate state to which the colony was reduced by 
the long detention of Columbus in Spain, and the impedi- 
ments thrown in the way of all his endeavors to send out 
supplies and re-inforcements. Fortunately, at this criti- 
cal juncture the arrival of two ships, under command of 
Pedro Hernandez Coronal, at the port of San Domingo, 
with troops and provisions, strengthened the hands of 
Don Bartholomew. The royal confirmation of his title 
and authority of adelantado at once put an end to all 
question of the legitimacy of his power, and secured the 
fidelity of his soldiers; and the tidings that the Admiral 
was in high favor at court, and on the point of coming 



234 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

out with a powerful squadron, struck consternation into 
the rebels, who had presumed upon his having fallen 
into disgrace. 

The adelantado immediately hastened to San Domingo, 
nor was there any attempt made to molest him on his 
march. When he found himself once more secure, his 
magnanimity prevailed over his indignation, and he sent 
Pedro Hernandez Coronal, to offer Roldan and his band 
amnesty for all offences, on condition of instant obedi- 
ence. Roldan feared to venture into his power, and de- 
termined to prevent the emissary from communicating 
with his followers, lest they should be induced to return 
to their allegiance. When Coronal approached the en- 
campment of the rebels, therefore, he was opposed in a 
narrow pass by a body of archers with their crossbows 
levelled. " Halt there, traitor ! " cried Roldan ; " had 
you arrived eight days later, we should all have been 
united." 

It was in vain that Coronal endeavored to win this 
turbulent man from his career. He professed to oppose 
only the tyranny and misrule of the adelantado, but to 
be ready to submit to the Admiral on his arrival, and 
he and his principal confederates wrote letters to that 
effect to their friends in San Domingo. 

When Coronal returned with accounts of Roldan's con- 
tumacy, the adelantado proclaimed him and his followers 
traitors. That shrewd rebel, however, did not suffer his 
men to remain within the reach either of promise or 
menace. He proposed to them to march off and estab- 
lish themselves in the remote province of Xaragua. The 
Spaniards who had been there had given the most allur- 
ing accounts of the country and its inhabitants, and 
above all of the beauty of the women, for they had been 
captivated by the naked charms of the dancing nymphs 



INSURRECTION OF THE NATIVES. 235 

of Xarai^ua. In this delightful region, emancipated from 
the iron rule of the adelantado, and relieved from the 
necessity of irksome labor, they might lead a life of per- 
fect freedom and indulgence, with a world of beauty at 
their command. In short, Roldan drew a picture of 
loose, sensual enjoyment, such as he knew to be irre- 
sistible with men of idle and dissolute habits. His 
followers acceded with joy to his proposition ; so, putting 
himself at their head, he marched away for Xaragua. 

Scarcely had the rebels departed when fresh insurrec- 
tions broke out among the Indians of the vega. The 
cacique Guarionex, moved by the instigations of Roldan, 
and forgetful of his gratitude to Don Bartholomew, 
entered into a new league to destroy the Spaniards and 
surprise Fort Conception. The plot exploded before its 
time, and was defeated ; and Guarionex, hearing that the 
adelantado was on the march for the vega, fled to the 
mountains of Ciguay, with his family, and a small band 
of faithful followers. The inhabitants of these mountains 
were the most robust and hardy tribe of the island, and 
the same who had skirmished with the Spaniards in the 
Gulf of Samana, in the course of the first voyage of 
Columbus. The reader may remember the frank and 
confiding faith with which their cacique trusted himself 
on board of the caravel of the Admiral, the day after the 
skirmish. It was to this same cacique, named Mayona- 
bex, that the fugitive chieftain of the vega applied for 
refuge, and he received a promise of protection. 

Indignant at finding his former clemency of no avail, 
the adelantado pursued Guarionex to the mountains, at 
the head of ninety men, a few cavalry, and a body of 
Indians. It was a rugged and difficult enterprise; the 
troops had to climb rocks, wade rivers, and make their 
way through tangled forests, almost impervious to men 



236 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

in armor, encumbered with targets, crossbows, and lances. 
They were continually exposed, also, to the ambushes of 
the Indians, who would rush forth with furious yells, dis- 
charge their weapons, and then take refuge again among 
rocks and thickets, where it was in vain to follow them. 
Don Bartholomew arrived, at length, in the neighborhood 
of Cape Cabron, the residence of Mayonabex, and sent 
a messenger, demanding the surrender of Guarionex, 
promising friendship in case of compliance, but threaten- 
ing to lay waste his territory with fire and sword, in case 
of refusal. "Tell the Spaniards," said the cacique, in 
reply, " that they are tyrants, usurpers, and shedders of 
innocent blood, and I desire not their friendship. Guario- 
nex is a good man, and my friend. He has fled to me 
for refuge ; I have promised him protection, and I will 
keep my word." 

The cacique, in fact, adhered to his promise with ad- 
mirable faith. His villages were burnt, his territories 
were ravaged, himself and his family driven to dens and 
caves of the mountains, and his subjects assailed him 
with clamors, urging him to give up the fugitive, who 
was bringing such ruin upon their tribe. It was all in 
vain. He was ready, he declared, to abide all evils, 
rather than it should ever be said Mayonabex betrayed 
his guest. 

For three months the adelantado hunted these caciques 
among the mountains, during which time he and his sol- 
diers were almost worn out with toil and hunger, and 
exposures of all kind. The retreat of Mayonabex was at 
length discovered. Twelve Spaniards, disguising them- 
selves as Indians, and wrapping their swords in palm 
leaves, came upon him secretly, and surprised and 
captured him, with his wife and children and a few at- 
tendants. The adelantado returned, with his prisoners. 




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^238 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

to Fort Conception, where he afterwards released them 
all, excepting the cacique, whom he detained as a host- 
age for the submission of his tribe. The unfortunate 
Guarionex still lurked among the caverns of the moun- 
tains, but was driven by hunger to venture down occa- 
sionally into the plain, in quesl^of food. His haunts were 
discovered, he was waylaid and captured by a party of 
Spaniards, and brought in chains to Fort Conception. 
After his repeated insurrections, and the extraordinary 
zeal displayed in his pursuit, he anticipated death from 
the vengeance of the adelantado. Don Bartholomew, 
however, though stern in his policy, was neither vindic- 
tive nor cruel ; he contented himself with detaining him 
a prisoner, to insure the tranquillity of the vega ; and then 
returned to San Domingo, where, shortly afterwards, he 
had the happiness of welcoming the arrival of his brother, 
the Admiral, after a separation of nearly two years and 
a half. 



CHAPTER XXXI. 

REBELLION OF ROLDAN. [1498.] 

One of the first measures of Columbus, on his arrival, 
was to issue a proclamation, approving of all that the 
adelantado had done, and denouncing Roldan and his 
associates. That turbulent man had proceeded to Xara- 
gua, where he had been kindly received by the natives. 
A circumstance occurred to add to his party and his re- 
sources. The three caravels detached by Columbus from 
the Canary Islands, and freighted with supplies, having 
been carried far west of their reckoning by the currents, 
arrived on the coast of Xaragua. The rebels were at first 



CRAFTINESS OF ROLDAN. 2^g 

alarmed lest there should be vessels dispatched in pursuit 
of them. Roldan, who was as sagacious as he was bold, 
soon divined the truth. Enjoining the utmost secrecy on 
his men, he went on board, and pretending to be in com- 
mand at that end of the island, succeeded in procuring a 
supply of arms and military stores, and in making parti- 
sans among the crews, many of whom were criminals and 
vagabonds from Spanish prisons, shipped in compliance 
with the Admiral's ill-judged proposition. It was not 
until the third day that Alonzo Sanchez de Carvajal, the 
most intelligent of the three captains, discovered the real 
character of the guests he had entertained, but the mis- 
chief was then effected. 

As the ships were detained by contrary winds, it was 
arranged among the captains that a large number of the 
people should be conducted by land to San Domingo, by 
Juan Antonio Colonbo, captain of one of the caravels, 
and a relation of the Admiral. He accordingly landed 
with forty men, well armed, but was astonished to find 
himself suddenly deserted by all his party excepting 
eight. The deserters joined the rebels, who received 
them with shouts of exultation. Juan Antonio, grieved 
and disconcerted, returned on board with the few who 
remained faithful. Fearing further desertions, the ships 
immediately put to sea ; but Carvajal, giving his vessel in 
charge to his officers, landed and remained with the rebels, 
fancying he had seen signs of wavering in Roldan and 
some of his associates, and that, by earnest persuasion, 
he might iiulucc thejn to return to their allegiance. The 
certainty that Columbus was actually on the way to the 
island, with additional forces and augmented authority, 
had, in fact, operated strongly on their minds; but all 
attempts to produce immediate submission were in vain. 
Roldan promised that the moment he heard of the 



240 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

arrival of Columbus he would repair to the neighborhood 
of San Domingo, to be at hand to state his grievances, 
and to enter into a negotiation for the adjustment of all 
differences. He wrote a letter to the same purport, to be 
delivered to the Admiral. With this Carvajal departed, 
and was escorted to within six leagues of San Domingo, 
by six of the rebels. On reaching that place he found 
Columbus already arrived, and delivered to him the letter 
of Roldan, expressing at the same time an opinion that 
the insurgents might easily be brought to their allegiance 
by an assurance of amnesty. In fact, the rebels soon be- 
gan to assemble at the village of Bonao, in a fine valley of 
the same name, about twenty leagues from San Domingo, 
and ten from Fort Conception. Here the)' made their 
headquarters, at the house of Pedro Reguelme, one of 
the ringleaders. 

Columbus immediately wrote to Miguel Ballester, the 
commander of Fort Conception, advising him to be on his 
guard. He empowered him to have an interview with 
Roldan, to offer him full pardon on condition of his im- 
mediate return to duty, and to invite him to repair to San 
Domingo to treat with the Admiral, under a solemn, and, 
if required, a written assurance of personal safety. At 
the same time he issued a proclamation, offering free pas- 
sage to all who wished to return to Spain, in five vessels 
about to be put to sea, hoping, by this means, to relieve 
the colony from all the idle and disaffected. 

Ballester was an old and venerable man, grayheaded, 
and of a soldier-like demeanor ; he was loyal, frank, and 
virtuous, of a serious disposition and great simplicity of 
heart. His appearance and character commanded the 
respect of the rebels; but they treated the proffered par- 
don with contempt, made many demands of an arrogant 
nature, and declared that in all further negotiations they 



TREATS WITH ROLDAN. 24 1 

would treat with no mediator but Carvajal, having had 
proofs of his fairness and impartiality in the course of 
their late communications with him at Xaragua. 

This insolent reply was totally different from what the 
Admiral had been taught to expect. He now ordered the 
men of San Domingo to appear under arms, that he might 
ascertain the force with which he could take the field in 
case of necessity. A report was immediately cy^culated 
that they were to be led to Bonao, against the rebels; 
some of the inhabitants had relations, others friends, 
among the followers of Roldan ; almost all were disaf- 
fected to the service ; not above seventy men appeared 
underarms; one affected to be ill, another lame; there 
were not forty to be relied upon. 

Columbus saw that a resort to arms would only serve 
to betray his own weakness and the power of the rebels. 
It was necessary to temporize, therefore, however humili- 
ating such conduct might be deemed. His first care was 
to dispatch the five ships, which he had detained in port 
until he should receive the reply of Roldan. He was 
anxious that as many as possible of the discontented col- 
onists should sail for Spain, before any commotion should 
take place. He wrote to the sovereigns an account of 
his late voyage, giving an enthusiastic description of tlfe 
newly discovered continent, accompanied by a chart of 
the coast, and specimens of the pearls which he had pro- 
cured from the natives. 

He informed the sovereigns, also, of the rebellion of 
Roldan, and as the latter pretended it was only a quarrel 
between him and the adelantado, he begged the matter 
might be investigated by their majesties, or by persons 
friendly to both parties. Among other judicious requests, 
he entreated that a man learned and experienceil in the 
law might be sent out to officiate as judge over the island. 
(16) 



242 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

By this opportunity Roldan and his friends likewise 
sent letters to Spain, endeavoring to justify their rebel- 
lion, by charging Columbus and his brothers with oppres- 
sion and injustice, and painting their whole conduct in 
the blackest colors. It would naturally be supposed 
that the representations of such men would have little 
weight in the balance against the tried merits and exalted 
services of Columbus ; but they had numerous friends and 
relations in Spain to back them ; Columbus was a for- 
eigner, without influence in the court, and with active 
enemies near the sovereigns, ever ready to place his con- 
duct in an unfavorable light. 

The ships being dispatched, the Admiral resumed his 
negotiation with the rebels. As the burden of their 
complaint was the strict rule of his brother, who was 
accused of dealing out justice with a rigorous hand, he 
resolved to try the alternative of extreme lenity, and 
wrote a letter to Roldan, calling to mind past kind- 
nesses, and entreating him, for the sake of his own 
reputation, which stood well with the sovereign, not to 
persist in his present insubordination. He again repeat- 
ed his assurance that he and his companions might come 
to treat with him at San Domingo, under the faith of 
his word for the inviolability of their persons. 

There was a difficulty as to who should be the bearer 
of this letter. The rebels had declared that they would 
receive no mediator but Alonzo Sanchez de Carvajal. 
Strong suspicions existed in the minds of many as to the 
integrity of that officer, from his transactions with the 
rebels at Xaragua, and his standing so high in their favor. 
Columbus, however, discarded all those suspicions, and 
confided implicitly in Carvajal, nor had he ever any cause 
to repent of his confidence. 

A painful and humiliating negotiation was now carried 



NEGOTIATION WITH ROLDAN. 243 

on for several days, in the course of which Roldan had 
an interview with Columbus at San Domingo, and several 
letters passed between tlieni. The rebels felt their power, 
and presumed, in consequence, to demand the most ex- 
travagant concessions. Miguel Ballester wrote at the 
same time to the Admiral, advising him to agree to what- 
ever they might demand. He represented their forces 
as continually augmenting, and that the soldiers of his 
garrison were daily deserting to them, aiul gave it as 
his opinion that unless some compromise were speedily 
effected, and the rebels shipped off for Spain, not merely 
the authorit)', but even the person of the Admiral would 
be in danger: for ihou^'h llu: hidalgoes and the immediate 
officers and servants about him would doubtless die in 
his service, yet he feared that the common people were 
but little to be depended upon. 

Thus urged by veteran counsel, and compelled by cir- 
cumstances, Columbus at length made an arrangement 
with the rebels, by which it was agreed that Roldan and 
his followers should embark for Spain, from the port of 
Xaragua, in two ships, which should be fitted out and 
victualled w ithin fift)' days. That they should each re- 
ceive from the Admiral a certificate of good conduct, and 
an order for the amount of their pay up to the actual 
date. That slaves should be given them, as had been 
given to colonists, in consideration of services performed ; 
and that such as had wives, natives of the island, might 
take them with them in place of slaves. That satisfac- 
tion should Ije made for property of some of the com- 
pany', which had been sequestrated, and for live stock 
which had belonged to Francis Roldan. 

It was a grievous circumstance to Columbus, that the 
vessels which should have borne his brother to explore 
the newly discovered continent IkuI to be devoted to the 



244 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

transportation of this turbulent and worthless rabble ; but 
he consoled himself with the idea that, the faction being 
once shipped off, the island would again be restored to 
tranquillity. The articles of arrangement being signed, 
Roldan and his followers departed for Xaragua, to await 
the arrival of the ships; and Columbus, putting his 
brother Don Diego in temporary command, set oi^ with 
the adelantado on a tour to visit the various fortresses, 
and restore everything to order. 

In the meanwhile, unavoidable delays took place in 
fitting out the ships, and they encountered violent storms 
in their voyage from San Domingo to Xaragua, so as to 
arrive there long after the stipulated time, and that in 
a damaged condition. The followers of Roldan seized 
upon this as a pretext to refuse to embark, aflfirming that 
the ships had been purposely delayed, and eventually sent 
in a state not seaworthy, and short of provisions. New 
negotiations were therefore set on foot and new terms 
demanded. It is probable that Roldan feared to return 
to Spain, and his followers were loth to give up their 
riotous and licentious life. In the midst of his perplexi- 
ties Columbus received a letter from Spain, in reply to 
the earnest representations which he had made of the 
distracted state of the colony and of the outrages of these 
licentious men. It was written by his invidious enemy 
the Bishop Fonseca, superintendent of Indian affairs. It 
informed him that his representations of the alleged 
rebellion had been received, but that the matter must be 
suffered to remain in suspense, as the sovereigns would 
investigate and remedy it presently. 

This cold reply had the most disheartening effect upon 
Columbus, while it increased the insolence of the rebels, 
who saw that his complaints had little weight with the 
government. Full of zeal, however, for the prosecution 



MEETING WITH HOLD AN. 245 

of his discoveries, and of fidelity to the interests of the 
Crown, he resolved, at any sacrifice of pride or comfort, 
to put an end to the troubles of the island. He departed, 
therefore, in the latter part of August, with two caravels, 
to the port of Azna, accompanied by several of the most 
important personages of the colony, to give Roldan a 
meeting. The latter, in this interview, conducted himself 
more like a conqueror exacting terms than a delinquent 
seeking pardon. Among other things, he demanded that 
such of his followers as chose to remain on the island 
should have lands assigned them, and that he should be 
reinstated in his office of alcalde mayor, or chief judge. 
The mind grows wearied and impatient with recording, 
and the heart of the generous reader must burn with 
indignation at perusing, this protracted and ineffectual 
struggle of a man of the exalted merits and matchless 
services of Columbus, in the toils of such contemptible 
miscreants. Surrounded by doubt and danger, a foreigner 
among a jealous people, an unpopular commander in a 
mutinous island, distrusted and slighted by the govern- 
ment he was seeking to serve, and creating suspicions by 
his very services, he knew not where to look for faith- 
ful advice, efficient aid, or candid judgment. He was 
alarmed, too, by symptoms of sedition among his own 
people, who talked of following the example of the 
rebels, and seizing upon the province of Higue}*. Thus 
critically situated, he signed a humiliating capitulation 
with the rebels, trusting he should afterwards be able to 
convince the sovereigns it had been compulsory, and 
forced from him by the perils that threatened himself 
and the colonw 

When Roldan resumed his office of alcalde mayor, he 
displayed all the arrogance to be expected from one who 
had intruded himself into power by profligate means. 



246 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

Columbus had a difficult and painful task in bearing with 
the insolence of this man, and of the shameless rabble 
that returned, under his auspices, to San Domingo. In 
compliance with the terms of agreement he assigned them 
liberal portions of land and numerous Indian slaves, taken 
in the wars, and contrived to distribute them in various 
places, some in Bonao, others in different parts of the 
vega. He made an arrangement, also, by which the ca- 
ciques in their vicinity, instead of paying tribute, should 
furnish parties of their subjects, at stated times, to assist 
in the cultivation of their lands; a kind of feudal service 
which was the origin of the repartimientos, or distribu- 
tions of free Indians among the colonists, afterwards 
generally adopted, and shamefully abused throughout the 
Spanish colonies, and which greatly contributed to ex- 
terminate the natives from the island of Hispaniola, 

Having obtained such ample provisions for his follow- 
ers, Roldan was not more modest in making demands for 
himself. Besides certain lands in the vicinity of Isabella, 
which he claimed, as having belonged to him before his 
rebellion, he received a royal farm, called La Esperanza, 
in the vega, and extensive tracts in Xaragua, with live 
stock and repartimientos of Indians. 

One of the first measures of Roldan as alcalde mayor 
was to appoint Pedro Reguelme, one of his most active 
confederates, alcalde of Bonao, an appointment which 
gave great displeasure to Columbus, being an assumption 
of power not vested in the office of Roldan. The Admi- 
ral received private information, also, that Reguelme, 
under pretext of erecting a farmhouse, was building a 
strong edifice on a hill, capable of being converted into a 
fortress ; this, it was whispered, was done in concert with 
Roldan, by way of securing a stronghold in case of need. 
The Admiral immediately sent peremptory orders for 



DISORDER OF THE COl.OXY. 247 

Reguclmc to desist from proceeding with tlic construc- 
tion of the edifice. 

Columbus had proposed to return to Spain, having 
experienced the inefficiency of letters in explaining the 
affairs of the island ; but the feverish state of the colony 
obliged him to give up the intention. The two caravels 
were dispatched in October, taking such of the colonists 
as chose to return, and among them several of the parti- 
sans of Roldan, some of whom took Indian slaves with 
them, and others carried away the daughters of caciques, 
whom they had beguiled from their homes and families. 

Columbus wrote by this opportunity to the sovereigns, 
giving it as his opinion that the agreement he had made 
with the rebels was by no means obligatory on the Crown, 
having been, in a manner, extorted by violence. He re- 
peated his request that a learned man might be sent out 
as judge, and desired, moreover, that discreet persons 
might be appointed to form a council, and others for 
certain fiscal employments, entreating, however, that their 
powers might be so limited and defined as not to inter- 
fere with his dignities and privileges. Finding age and 
infirmity creeping upon him, he began to think of his son 
Diego as an active coadjutor, being destined to succeed 
to his offices. He was still a page at court, but grown to 
man's estate, aiul capable of entering into the important 
concerns of life ; he begged, therefore, that he might be 
sent out to assist him. 



The portrait of Columbus here, presented is from a picture painted by Sir 
Antonio or Sir Anthony Moro about 1542, for Margaret of Parma, Governess 
of the Netherlands. The painting was brought to England about the year 
1590, and had been in the possession of one family until about 1848, when 
it was purchased by a Mr. Cribb, of King Street, Covent Garden, London. 
Irving had an opportunity of examining the portrait during his sojourn in 
London, and says of it : " The characteristics of the mind and features of Co- 
lumbus are so forcibly depicted in this picture that no doubt can remain but 
that it is a true and perfect resemblance of the great navigator."' The paint- 
ing was purchased by Mr. C. F. Gunther, of Chicago, in tlie spring of 1891. 

According to the record given to Mr. Cribb, Moro had based the portrait 
upon two miniatures existing in the royal collection in the palace of El 
Pardo, near Madrid, which miniatures appear to have perished when that 
palace was destroyed by fire. The year 1590, in which the picture passed 
over to England, was the year in which the Duke of Parma, broken in 
health, left the Netherlands, and the United Provinces secured their first 
assured successes in the contest for their freedom. It is possible enough, 
therefore, that the painting may have been left behind by the duke with 
other property not easily transported, and that it then fell into the hands 
either of the Dutch or some one of the English adventurers who served with 
them, and thus wandered across the Channel as part of the spoils of war. 

The frame in which the picture is inclosed is a remarkable piece of 
antique carving. At the base is a trophy of crossed cannon mounted on 
carriages, trumpets, cannon cartridges, armor, drums, or other insignia of 
war. On either side the warlike trophies are continued, with clusters of 
pistols, bandoleers carrying loaded cartridges, Indian arrows, war-clubs, 
etc., with four cupidons supporting shields on each side, and an anchor at 
each corner of the base. The frame is topped by two cupids, supporting a 
shield topped with a crown, against a grouping of standards and cannon. 
The shield bears as quarterings an anchor, a ship under sail, a naked arm 
brandishing a sword, and islands in the sea. When Columbus returned 
from his first voyage, Ferdinand conferred upon him, at Barcelona, as 
Irving relates, a coat-of-arms, " in which the royal arms, the castle and lion, 
were quartered with his proper bearings, which were a group of islands 
surrounded by waves." When the royal favor was removed from him, he 
naturally substituted these more appropriate quarterings for those which he 
was no longer granted the gracious regal privilege to bear. The carving of 
the frame is in high relief and in the Spanish style of the sixteenth century. 

On examining the setting of the supposed jewels of the second ring on 
the index finger, the interesting fact is developed that they are the arms of 
Ferdinand and Isabella, exquisitely painted in miniature. This discovery 
completes a very important chain of evidence. The picture presents the 
name of Columbus, the Indian arrows, and the arms of the court. 

It appears that no other portrait in existence has so many evidences of its 
authenticity as an actual portrayal of the great discoverer. 




THE MORO COH'MBUS. 



Pa.nted ,n .543 af the court 0/ PhiU/. //. rf S/..,„, iy Sir 
A„ton.o Mora, fro,,, tu-o ».iniatures i„ the palace of El 
Pardo, rulnch miniatures have since been destroyed. The 
or,grnal pa.ntins is no.v in the collection 0/ C. F. Gunther, 
i^sg. 0/ Chicago, by u.hose kind permission this reproduc- 
tion has been tnade. 



250 TEE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 



CHAPTER XXXII. 

VISIT OF OJEDA TO THE WEST END OF THE ISLAND. — 
CONSPIRACY OF MOXICA. [1499.] 

About this time reports were brought to Columbus 
that four ships had anchored at the western part of the 
island, a little below Jacquemel, apparently with the de- 
sign of cutting dyewoods and carrying off the natives for 
slaves. They were commanded by Alonzo de Ojeda, the 
same hot-headed and bold-hearted cavalier who had dis- 
tinguished himself by the capture of Caonabo. Knowing 
the daring and adventurous spirit of this man, the 
Admiral was disturbed at his visiting the island in this 
clandestine manner. To call him to account, however, 
required a man of spirit and address. No one seemed 
fitter for the purpose than Roldan. He was as daring as 
Ojeda, and of a more crafty character. An expedition 
of this kind would occupy the attention of himself and 
his partisans, and divert them from any schemes of 
mischief. 

Roldan gladly undertook the enterprise. He had 
nothing further to gain by sedition, and was anxious to 
secure his ill-gotten possessions by public services, which 
should atone for past offences. Departing from San 
Domingo, with two caravels, he arrived on the 26th of 
September within two leagues of the harbor where the 
vessels of Ojeda were anchored. Here, landing with five- 
and-twenty resolute men, he intercepted Ojeda, who was 
on an excursion several leagues from his ships, and de- 
manded his motives for landing on that remote and 
lonely part of the island, without first reporting his arrival 



AMERIGO VESrUCCI. 25 I 

to the Admiral. Ojeda replied that he had been on a 
voyage of discovery, and had put in there in distress, to 
repair his ships and obtain provisions. On further in- 
quiry it appeared that Ojeda had happened to be in Spain 
at the time that the letters arrived from Columbus, giving 
an account of his discovery of the coast of Paria, accom- 
panied by specimens of the pearls to be found there. 
Ojeda was a favorite with Bishop Fonseca, and obtained 
a sight of the letter and the charts and maps of the route 
of Columbus. He immediately conceived the idea of an 
expedition to those parts, in which he was encouraged 
by Fonseca, who furnished him with copies of the papers 
and charts, and granted him a letter of license, signed by 
himself, but not by the sovereigns. Ojeda fitted out four 
ships at Seville, assisted by many eager and wealthy 
speculators ; and in this squadron sailed Amerigo Ves- 
pucci, a Florentine merchant, well acquainted with geog- 
raphy and navigation, who eventually gave his name to 
the whole of the New World. The expedition sailed in 
May, 1499. The adventurers arrived on the southern 
continent, and ranged along it, from two hundred leagues 
east of the Orinoco to the Gulf of Paria. Guided by the 
charts of Columbus, they passed through this gulf and 
through the Boca del Drago, kept along westward to 
Cape de la Vela, visiting the island of Margarita, and the 
adjacent continent, and discovering the gulf of Venezu- 
ela. They had subsequently touched at the Caribbee 
Islands, where they had fought with the fierce natives 
.and made many captives, with the design of selling them 
in the slave markets of Seville. From thence they had 
sailed for Hispaniola to procure supplies, having per- 
formed the most extensive voyage hitherto made along 
the shores of the New World. 

Ojeda assured Roldan that he intended, as soon as 



252 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

his ships were ready, to go to San Domingo and pay his 
homage to the Admiral. Trusting to tliis assurance, and 
satisfied with the information he had obtained, Roldan 
sailed for San Domingo to make his report. Nothing, 
however, was farther from the intention of Ojeda than to 
keep his promise. As soon as his ships were ready for 
sea, he sailed round to the coast of Xaragua. Here he 
was well received by the Spaniards resident in that prov- 
ince, among whom were many of the late comrades of 
Roldan. Knowing the rash and fearless character of 
Ojeda, and finding that there were jealousies between 
him and the Admiral, they made clamorous complaints 
of the injustice of the latter, whom they accused of with- 
holding from them the arrears of their pay. Ojeda, who 
knew the tottering state of the Admiral's favor at court, 
and felt secure in the powerful protection of Fonseca, 
immediately proposed to put himself at their head, 
march at once to San Domingo, and oblige the Admiral 
to satisfy their just demands. The proposition was re- 
ceived with transport by some of the rebels ; but others 
demurred, and a furious brawl ensued, in which several 
were killed and wounded on both sides; the party for 
the expedition to San Domingo remained triumphant. 

Fortunately for the peace and safety of the Admiral, 
Roldan, who had received news of the movements of 
Ojeda, arrived in the neighborhood at this critical junct- 
ure with a band of resolute followers, and was re-enforced 
on the following day by his old confederate, Diego de 
Escobar, with additional forces. Ojeda retired to his 
ships ; a long course of manoeuvring took place between 
these well-matched adversaries, each striving to gain an 
advantage of the other. Ojeda at length was obliged to 
abandon the coast, and made sail for some other island 
to make up his cargo of Indian slaves. 



HERNANDO DE GUEVARA. 253 

The followers of Roldan took great merit to themselves 
for their unwonted loyalty in driving Ojeda from the 
island; and, like all reformed knaves, expected that 
their good conduct would be amply rewarded. Look- 
ing upon their leader as having everything in his gift, 
they requested him to share among them the fine prov- 
ince of Cahay, adjoining to Xaragua. Roldan, who was 
now anxious to establish a character of adherence to the 
law, declined acceding to their wishes, until sanctioned by 
the Admiral ; but, to soothe their impatient rapacity, he 
shared among them ihe lands which had been granted to 
him in Xaragua. While he was remaining in this neigh- 
borhood other troubles broke out, and from somewhat of 
a romantic cause. A young cavalier of noble family, 
named Hernando de Guevara, cousin to Adrian de Mox- 
ica, one of the ringleaders of the late rebellion, was ban- 
ished from San Domingo for licentious conduct, and sent 
to Xaragua to embark in the ships of Ojeda, but arrived 
after their departure. He was treated with indulgence 
by Roldan on account of his old comrade, Adrian de 
Moxica, and was favorably received at the house of the 
female cacique, Anacaona. That remarkable woman still 
retained her partiality to the Spaniards, notwithstanding 
the disgraceful scenes that had passed before her eyes. 
By her late husband, Caonabo, she had a daughter, 
named Higuenamota, just grown up, and greatly admired 
for her beauty. Guevara became enamored of her. He 
possessed an agreeable person and winning manners, 
though he w as headstrong in his passions and destitute 
of principle. His endearments soon won the heart of the 
simple Indian girl. Anacaona. the mother, pleased with 
the gallant appearance and ingratiating manners of the 
youthful cavalier, favored his attachment, especially as 
he sought her daughter in marriage. Roldan was him- 



2 54 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

self attached to the young Indian beauty, and jealous of 
her preference of his rival. He exerted his authority to 
separate the lovers, and banished Guevara to the province 
of Cahay. The latter soon returned, and concealed him- 
self in the dwelling of Anacaona. Being discovered, and 
finding Roldan implacable in his opposition to his pas- 
sion, he now meditated revenge. He soon made a party 
among the old comrades of Roldan, who detested as a 
magistrate the man they had idolized as a leader. It was 
concerted to rise suddenly upon him, and either to kill 
him or put out his eyes. The plot was discovered ; 
Guevara was seized in the dwelling of Anacaona, in the 
presence of his intended bride; seven of his accomplices 
were likewise arrested, and the prisoners were sent to the 
fortress of San Domingo. 

When Adrian de Moxica heard that his cousin Guevara 
was arrested, and that, too, by his former confederate, 
Roldan, he was highly exasperated. He hastened to the 
old haunt of rebellion at Bonao, and claimed the co-op- 
eration of Pedro Reguelme, the newly appointed alcalde. 
It was readily yielded. They went round among their 
late fellow-rebels who were settled in the vega, and had 
soon a daring body of reckless men ready, with horse 
and weapon, for any desperate enterprise. Moxica, in 
his fury, meditated not merely the rescue of his cousin, 
but the death of Roldan and the Admiral. 

Columbus was at Fort Conception, with an inconsider- 
able force, when he heard of this dangerous plot, con- 
certed in his very neighborhood. He saw that his safety 
depended upon prompt and vigorous measures. Taking 
with him but six or seven trusty servants, and three es- 
quires, all well armed, he came suddenly upon the con- 
spirators in the night, seized Moxica and several of his 
principal confederates, and bore them off to Fort Con- 



FATE OF MOXICA. 255 

ception. Resolving to set an example that should strike 
terror into the factions, he ordered that Moxica should 
be hanged on the top of the fortress. The latter en- 
treated to be allowed a confessor. A priest was sent for. 
The miserable culprit, who had been so daring in rebel- 
lion, lost all courage at the near approach of death. He 
delayed and hesitated in his confession, as if hoping, by 
whiling away time, to give a chance for rescue. Instead 
of confessing his own sins he began to accuse others, 
until Columbus, losing all patience, in his mingled indig- 
nation and scorn, ordered the dastard wretch to be flung 
from the battlements. 

This sudden act of severity was promptly followed up. 
Pedro Rcguelme was taken, with several of his compeers, 
in his rufifian-den at Bonao, and conveyed to the fortress 
of San Domingo. The conspirators fled for the most 
part to Xaragua, where they were pursued by the adelan- 
tado, seconded by Roldan, and hunted out of all their 
old retreats. Thus in a little while the power of faction 
was completely subdued. 

Columbus considered this happy event as brought 
about by the special intervention of Heaven, and gives 
in proof of it an instance of one of those visionary 
fancies by which he seems to have been visited at times 
when his mind was distempered by illness or an.xiety. In 
the preceding winter, during the height of his cares and 
troubles, he had sunk into a state of despondency. In 
one of his gloomy moods he heard, he says, a voice 
which thus addressed him : "O man of little faith! fear 
nothing, be not cast down. I will provide for thee. The 
seven years of the term of gold are not expired.* In 

* Alluding to his vow, that within seven years he would furnish an 
army for a crusade, from his share of the gold to be found in the New 
World. 



256 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

that and in all other things I will take care of thee." 
On that very day, he adds, he received intelligence of 
the discovery of a number of gold mines. The imagi- 
nary promise of divine aid appeared to him still to be 
performing. The troubles and dangers which had sur- 
rounded him were breaking away, and order was coming 
out of confusion. He now looked forward to the pros- 
ecution of his grand enterprises, the exploring the coast 
of Paria, and the establishment of a pearl fishery in its 
waters. How illusive were his hopes ! At this very 
moment those events were maturing that were to over- 
whelm him with distress, strip him of his honors, and 
render him comparatively a wreck for the remainder of 
his days ! 



CHAPTER XXXni. 

INTRIGUES AGAINST COLUMBUS IN THE SPANISH 
COURT. — APPOINTMENT OF BOBADILLA AS COMMIS- 
SIONER. — HIS ARRIVAL AT SAN DOMINGO. [1500.] 

While Columbus had been involved in a series of 
difficulties in the factious island of Hispaniola, his ene- 
mies had been but too successful in undermining his 
reputation in the court of Spain. Every vessel that 
returned from the New World came freighted with com- 
plaints, representing the character and conduct of Co- 
lumbus and his brothers in the most odious point of 
view, and reiterating the illiberal, but mischievous, insin- 
uation that they were foreigners, who had nothing but 
their own interest and gratification in view. It was even 
alleged that Columbus intended to cast off all allegiance 
to Spain, and either to make himself sovereign of the 



ENEMIES OF COLUMBUS AT COURT. 2$7 

countries he had discovered, or to yield them into the 
hands of some other power; a slander which, however 
extravagant, was calculated to startle the jealous mind of 
F'erdinand. The Bishop Fonseca, and other enemies of 
Columbus who were about the court, having continual 
access to the sovereigns, were enabled to place every- 
thing urged against him in the strongest point of view, 
while they destroyed the force of his vindications. They 
had a plausible logic by which to convict him of either 
bad management or bad faith. There was an incessant 
drain upon the mother country for the support of the 
colony. Was this compatible, they asked, with the ex- 
travagant pictures he had drawn of the wealth of the 
island and its golden mountains, in which he had pre- 
tended to find the Ophir of ancient days, the source of 
the riches of King Solomon? They inferred that he had 
either deceived the sovereigns by exaggerations or grossly 
wronged them by malpractices, or that he was totally 
incapable of the duties of government. 

For the purpose of irritating the pride of the king, 
every repining man who returned from the colony was 
encouraged to put in claims for arrears of pay withheld 
by Columbus, or losses sustained in his service. A gang 
of the disorderly ruffians who had been shipped off, to 
free the island from their seditions, found their way to 
the court at Granada. They followed the king when he 
rode out, filling the air with complaints, and clamoring 
for their pay. About fifty of them assembled one ila\' 
in the main court of the Alhambra, under the ro}-al 
apartments, holding up bunches of grapes as the meagre 
diet to which they were reduced by their poverty, and by 
the cruel deceits of Columbus. Seeing the two sons of 
the Admiral pass by, who were pages to the queen, they 
followed them with imprecations. " There go," cried 
17 



258 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

they, "the whelps of him who discovered the land of 
vanity and delusion, the grave of Spanish hidalgoes ! " 

The incessant repetition of falsehood will gradually 
wear its way into the most candid mind. Isabella her- 
self began to entertain doubts respecting the conduct of 
Columbus. If he and his brothers were upright, they 
might be injudicious; and mischief is oftener produced 
in government through error of judgment than iniquity 
of design. Isabella doubted, but the jealous Ferdinand 
felt convinced. He had never regarded Columbus with 
real cordiality, and ever since he had ascertained the 
importance of his discoveries, had regretted the extensive 
powers he had vested in his hands. He now resolved to 
send out some person to investigate the affairs of the 
colony, and, if necessary for its safety, to assume the 
command. This measure had actually been decided 
upon and the papers drawn out early in 1499 ; but, from 
various reasons, had been postponed. It is probable 
Isabella opposed so harsh a step against a man for whom 
she entertained an ardent gratitude and high admiration. 
The arrival of the ships with the late followers of Roldan 
brought matters to a crisis. The king listened entirely 
to the representations of the rebels, and a circumstance 
took place which, for a time, suspended the friendship 
of Isabella, the great safeguard of Columbus. 

The followers of Roldan brought with them a number 
of slaves, some of which Columbus had been compelled 
to grant them by the articles of capitulation, others had 
been conveyed away clandestinely. Among them were 
several daughters of caciques, who had been seduced 
from their homes by these profligates. Some were in a 
state of pregnancy, others had new-born infants. The 
gifts and transfers of these unhappy beings were all rep- 
resented as voluntary acts of Columbus. The sensibility 



DON FRANCISCO DE BOBADILLA. 259 

/ 

of Isabella as a woman, and her dignity as a queen, were 
instantly in arms. " What right," exclaimed she, indig- 
nantly, "has the Admiral to give away my vassals?" 
She immediately ordered all the Indians to be restored to 
their homes ; nay, more, she commanded that those which 
had formerly been sent to Spain by the Admiral should 
be sought out and reshipped to Hispaniola. Unfortu- 
nately for Columbus, at this very juncture, in one of his 
letters he advised the continuance of Indian slavery for 
some time longer, as a measure important to the wel- 
fare of the colony. This contributed to heighten the 
indignation of Isabella, and induced her no longer to 
oppose the sending out a commissioner to investigate 
his conduct, and, if necessary, to supersede him in com- 
mand. 

The person chosen for this most momentous office was 
Don Francisco de Bobadilla, an of^cer of the royal house- 
hold, and a commander of the military and religious 
order of Calatrava. He is represented by some as a 
very honest and religious man ; by others, and with ap- 
parent justice, as needy, passionate, and ambitious — three 
powerful objections to his acting as judge in a case where 
the utmost caution and candor were required, and where 
he was to derive wealth and power from the conviction 
of one of the parties. 

Bobadilla arrived at San Domingo on the 23d of Aug- 
ust, 1500. Before entering the harbor he learnt, from a 
canoe which came off from the shore, that the Admiral 
and the adelantado were absent in the interior of the 
island, and Don Diego in command. He was told of the 
recent insurrection of Moxica, and the punishments which 
had followed. Seven of the rebels had been hanged that 
week, and five more were in the fortress of San Domingo, 
condemned to suffer the same fate. Among these were 



26o THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

\ 

Pedro Reguelme, the factious alcalde of Bonao, and Fer- 
nando de Guevara, the young cavalier whose passion for 
the daughter of Anacaona had been the original cause of 
the rebellion. As the vessels entered the river, Boba- 
dilla beheld on either bank a gibbet, with the body of 
a Spaniard hanging on it. He considered all these cir- 
cumstances as conclusive proofs of the alleged cruelty of 
Columbus. 

The report had already circulated in the city, that a 
commissioner had arrived to make inquisition into the 
late troubles. Many hastened on board the ship to pay 
early court to this public censor ; and as those who sought 
to secure his favor were those who had most to fear 
from his scrutiny, it is evident that the nature of their 
communications was generally unfavorable to the Admi- 
ral. In fact, before Bobadilla landed, if not before he 
arrived, the culpability of the Admiral was decided in his 
mind. He acted accordingly. He made proclamation 
at the church door, in presence of Don Diego and the 
other persons in authority, of his letters patent, author- 
izing him to investigate the rebellion and proceed against 
delinquents; and in virtue of these he demanded that 
Guevara, Reguelme, and the other prisoners should be 
delivered up to him, with the depositions taken in their 
cases. 

Don Diego declared he could do nothing of the kind 
without the authority of the Admiral, and requested a 
copy of the letters patent, that he might send it to his 
brother. This Bobadilla refused, and added, that since 
the office he proclaimed appeared to have no weight, he 
would try what efficacy there was in the name of gov- 
ernor. On the following day, therefore, he had another 
royal patent read, investing him with the government of 
the islands, and of Terra Firma ; an authority which he 



ASCENDENCY OF BOBADILLA. 261 

was only to have assumed on absolute proof of the delin- 
quency of Columbus. This letter being read, he again 
demanded the prisoners, and was again refused, Don 
Diego observing that they were held in obedience to the 
Admiral, to whom the sovereigns had granted letters of 
a higher nature. 

Bobadilhi now produced a mandate from the Crown, 
ordering Columbus and his brothers to deliver up all 
fortresses, ships, and other royal property ; and another, 
ordering that the arrears of wages due to all persons in 
the royal service should be immediately paid, and the 
Admiral compelled to pay the arrears of those to whom 
he was individually accountable. 

This last document was received with shouts by the 
multitude, to many of whom long arrears were due, in 
consequence of the poverty of the treasury. Flushed 
with his growing importance and popularity, Bobadilla 
again demanded the prisoners, and receiving the same 
repl)', he proceeded to the fortress and made a formal 
demand of them of the alcayde Miguel Diaz. The latter 
refused to surrender them to any one but the Admiral. 
Upon this the whole spirit of Bobadilla was aroused. 
He assembled the sailors of the ships and the rabble of 
the place, marched them to the prison, broke open the 
door, which readily gave way, while some of his myrmi- 
dons put up ladders to scale the walls. The alcayde, 
Miguel Diaz, and Don Diego de Alvarado appeared on 
the battlements with drawn swords, but offered no re- 
sistance. The fortress, having no garrison, was easily 
carried, and the prisoners were borne ofT in triumph, and 
given in custody to an alguazil. 

Such was the entrance into ofifice of Francisco de 
Bobadilla, and he continued his career in the same spirit, 
acting as if he had been sent out to degrade the Admiral, 



262 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

not to inquire into his conduct. He took up his resi- 
dence in the house of Columbus, seized upon his arms, 
gold, plate, jewels, horses, books, letters, and most secret 
manuscripts, giving no account of the property thus 
seized, paying out of it the wages of those to whom the 
Admiral was in arrears, and disposing of the rest as if 
already confiscated to the Crown. To increase his favor 
with the people, he proclaimed a general license for 
twenty years to seek for gold, exacting merely one- 
eleventh for government, instead of a third, as heretofore. 
At the same time he used the most unqualified language 
in speaking of Columbus, hinted that he was empowered 
to send him home in chains, and declared that neither he 
nor any of his lineage would ever again be permitted to 
govern the island. 



CHAPTER XXXIV. 

COLUMBUS ARRESTED AND SENT TO SPAIN. [150O.] 

When Columbus received tidings at Fort Conception 
of the high-handed proceedings of Bobadilla, he consid- 
ered them the unauthorized act of some rash adventurer; 
but the proclamation of his letters patent, which imme- 
diately took place throughout the island, soon convinced 
him he was acting under authority. He endeavored then 
to persuade himself that Bobadilla was sent out to exer- 
cise the functions of chief judge, in compliance with the 
request contained in one of his own letters to the sov- 
ereigns, and that he was perhaps intrusted with provis- 
ional powers to inquire into the late troubles of the 
island. All beyond these powers he tried to believe 



I 



ARREST OF COLUMBUS. 263 

were mere assumptions and exaggerations of authority, 
as in the case of Aguado. His consciousness of his own 
services and integrity, and his faith in the justice of the 
sovereigns forbade him to think otherwise. He pro- 
ceeded to act on this idea ; writing temperate and con- 
ciliatory letters to Bobadilhi, cautioning him against his 
precipitate measures, while he endeavored by counter 
proclamations to prevent the mischief he was producing. 
Messengers soon arrived, however, who delivered to him 
a royal letter of credence, commanding him to give im- 
plicit faith and obedience to Bobadilla, and they gave 
him, at the same time, a summons from the latter to 
appear before him immediately at San Domingo. This 
laconic letter from the sovereigns struck at once at the 
root of his dignity and power ; he made no longer any 
hesitation or demur, but departed alone and almost un- 
attended to obey the peremptory summons of Bobadilla. 
The latter, in the meantime, had made a bustle of prep- 
aration and mustered the troops, affecting to believe a 
vulgar rumor that Columbus had called on the caciques 
of the vega to aid him in resisting the commands of the 
government. He moreover arrested Don Diego, threw 
him in irons, and confined him on board of a caravel, 
without assigning any cause for his imprisonment. 

No sooner did he hear of the arrival of Columbus than 
he gave orders to put him also in irons, and to confine 
him in the fortress. 

This outrage to a person of such dignified and venera- 
ble appearance, and such eminent merit, seemed for a 
time to shock even his enemies. When the irons were 
brought, every one present shrunk from the task of put- 
ting them on him, either out of a sentiment of compas- 
sion at so great a reverse of fortune, or out of habitual 
reverence for his person. To fill the measure of ingrati- 



264 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

tude meted out to him, it was one of his own servants 
that volunteered to rivet his fetters. 

Columbus conducted himself with characteristic mag- 
nanimity under the injuries heaped upon him. There is 
a noble scorn which swells and supports the heart, and 
/ silences the tongue of the truly great, when enduring the 
( insults of the unworthy. Columbus could not stoop to 
deprecate the arrogance of a weak and violent man like 
Bobadilla. He looked beyond this shallow agent, and all 
his petty tyranny, to the sovereigns who had employed 
him. It was their injustice and ingratitude alone that 
could wound his spirit ; and he felt assured that when the 
truth came to be known they would blush to find how 
greatly they had wronged him. With this proud assur- 
ance, he bore all present indignities in silence. He even 
wrote, at the demand of Bobadilla, a letter to the adelan- 
tado, who was still in Xaragua, at the head of an armed 
force, exhorting him to submit quietly to the will of the 
sovereigns. Don Bartholomew immediately complied. 
Relinquishing his command, he hastened peacefully to 
San Domingo, and, on arriving, experienced the same 
treatment with his brothers, being put in irons, and con- 
fined on board of a caravel. They were kept separate 
from each other, and no communication permitted be- 
tween them. Bobadilla did not see them himself, nor 
did he allow others to visit them ; and they were kept 
in total ignorance of the crimes with which they were 
charged, and the proceedings that were instituted against 
them. 

The old scenes of the time of Aguado were now re- 
newed with tenfold virulence. All the old charges were 
revived, and others added, still more extravagant in their 
nature. Columbus was accused of having prevented the 
conversion of the Indians, that they might be sold as 




BARTHOLOMFAV COLUMBUS. 
Redratvn from llerr.ra's - History of tin- West Indus." 



266 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

slaves ; with having secreted pearls collected on the 
coast of Paria, and kept the sovereigns in ignorance of 
the nature of his discoveries there, in order to exact new 
privileges from them. Even the late tumults were turned 
into matters of accusation, and the rebels admitted as 
evidence. The well-merited punishments inflicted upon 
certain of the ringleaders were cited as proofs of a cruel 
and revengeful disposition, and a secret hatred of Span- 
iards. Guevara, Reguelme, and their fellow-convicts 
were discharged almost without the form of a trial. Rol- 
dan, from the very first, had been treated with confidence 
by Bobadilla ; all the others whose conduct had rendered 
them liable to justice received either a special acquittal 
or a general pardon. 

Bobadilla had now collected testimony sufficient, as he 
thought, to insure the condemnation of the prisoners, 
and his own continuance in command. He determined, 
therefore, to send home the Admiral and his brothers in 
chains, in the vessels which were ready for sea, with the 
inquest taken in their case, and private letters enforcing 
the charges made against them. 

San Domingo now swarmed with miscreants, just de- 
livered from the dungeon and the gibbet. Every base 
spirit which had been overawed by Columbus and his 
brothers, when in power, now hastened to revenge itself 
upon them when in chains. The most injurious slanders 
were loudly proclaimed in the streets, pasquinades and 
libels were posted up at the corners, and horns blown in 
the neighborhood of their prisons, to taunt them with 
the exultings of the rabble. 

The charge of conducting the prisoners to Spain was 
given to Alonzo de Villejo, an officer who was in the 
employ of Bishop Fonseca. He was instructed, on ar- 
riving at Cadiz, to deliver his prisoners into the hands of 



COLUMBUS TAKEN TO SPAIN. 267 

the bishop, which circumstance has caused a behef that 
Fonseca was the secret instigator of all these violent 
proceedings. Villejo, however, was a man of honorable 
character and generous feelings, and showed himself 
superior to the low malignity of his patrons. When he 
arrived with a guard to conduct the Admiral from the 
prison to the ship, he found him in chains, in a state of 
deep despondency. So violently had he been H;reated, 
and so savage were the passions let loose against him, 
he had begun to fear he should be sacrificed without an 
opportunity of being heard, and that his name would go 
down to posterity sullied with imputed crimes. 

When the ofificer entered with the guard, he thought 
it was to conduct him to the scaffold. '* Villejo," said 
he, mournfully, " whither are you taking me?" " To the 
ship, your excellency, to embark," replied the other. 
"To embark!" repeated the Admiral, earnestly. "Vil- 
lejo, do you speak the truth ? " " By the life of your ex- 
cellency," replied the honest officer, " it is true ! " With 
these words the Admiral was comforted, and felt as one 
restored from death to life. 

The caravels set sail early in October, bearing off Co- 
lumbus, shackled like the vilest of culprits, amidst the 
scoffs and shouts of a miscreant rabble, who took a brutal 
joy in heaping insults on his venerable head, and sent 
curses after him from the island he had so recently added 
to the civilized world. Fortunately the voyage was fa- 
vorable and of moderate duration, and was rendered less 
irksome to Columbus by the conduct of those to whom 
he was given in custody. The worthy Villejo, as well as 
Andreas Martin, the master of the caravel, felt deeply 
grieved at his situation, and always treated him w ith pro- 
found respect and assiduous attention. They would have 
taken off his irons, but to this he would not consent. 



268 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

" No," said he, proudly, " their majesties commanded me 
by letter to submit to whatever Bobadilla should order 
in their name ; by their authority he has put upon me 
these chains ; I will wear them until they shall order them 
to be taken off, and I will afterwards preserve them as 
relics and memorials of the reward of my services." 

"He did so," adds his son Fernando, in his history; 
" I saw them always hanging in his cabinet, and he 
requested that when he died they might be buried with 
him!" ^ 



CHAPTER XXXV. 

ARRIVAL OF COLUMBUS IN SPAIN. — HIS INTERVIEW 
WITH THE SOVEREIGNS.— APPOINTMENT OF OVANDO 
TO THE GOVERNMENT OF HISPANIOLA. [150O.] 

The arrival of Columbus at Cadiz, a prisoner, and in 
chains, produced almost as great a sensation as his tri- 
umphant return from his first voyage. A general burst 
of indignation arose in Cadiz, and in the powerful and 
opulent Seville, which was immediately echoed through- 
out all Spain. No one stopped to reason on the subject. 
It was sufficient to be told that Columbus was brought 
home in chains from the world he had discovered. 

The tidings reached the court of Granada, and filled 
the halls of the Alhambra with murmurs of astonishment. 
On the arrival of the ships at Cadiz, Andreas Martin, the 
captain, had permitted Columbus to send off letters pri- 
vately by express. The Admiral, full of his wrongs, but 
ignorant how far they had been authorized by the sover- 
eigns, forbore to write to them. He sent a long letter, 



LENIENCY OF FERDINAND. 269 

however, to a lady of the court, high in favor with the 
queen, and who had been nurse to Prince Juan. It con- 
tained an ample vindication of his conduct, couched in 
eloquent and dignified and touching language. When it 
was read to the noble-minded Isabella, and she found 
how grossly Columbus had been wronged and the royal 
authority abused, her heart was filled with mingled sym- 
pathy and indignation. 

However Ferdinand might have secretly felt disposed 
against Columbus, the momentary tide of public senti- 
ment was not to be resisted. He joined with his generous 
queen in her reprobation of the treatment of the Admiral. 
Without waiting to receive any documents that might 
arrive from Bobadilla, they sent orders to Cadiz that the 
prisoners should be instantly set at liberty and treated 
with all distinction, and that two thousand ducats should 
be advanced to Columbus to defray the expenses of his 
journey to court. They wrote him a letter at the same 
time, expressing their grief at all that he had suffered, 
and inviting him to Granada. 

The loyal heart of Columbus was cheered by this letter 
from his sovereigns. He appeared at court, not as a man 
ruined and disgraced, but richly dressed, and with an 
honorable retinue. He was received by their majesties 
with unqualified favor and distinction. When the queen 
beheld this venerable man approach, and thought on all 
he had deserved and all that he had suffered, she was 
moved to tears. Columbus had borne up firmly against 
the stern conflicts of the world ; he had endured with 
lofty scorn the Mijuries and insults of ignoble men, but he 
possessed strong and quick sensibility. When he found 
himself thus kindly received, and beheld tears in the 
benign eyes of Isabella, his long-suppressed feelings burst 
forth; he threw himself upon his knees, and for some 



2/0 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

time could not utter a word for the violence of his tears 
and sobbings. 

Ferdinand and Isabella raised him from the ground, 
and endeavored to encourage him by the most gracious 
expressions. As soon as he regained his self-possession 
he entered into an eloquent and high-minded vindication 
of his loyalty, and the zeal he had ever felt for the glory 
and advantage of the Spanish crown ; if at any time he 
had erred, it had been, he said, through inexperience in 
the art of governing, and through the extraordinary diffi- 
culties by which he had been surrounded. 

There was no need of vindication on his part. He 
stood in the presence of his sovereigns a deeply injured 
man, and it remained for them to vindicate themselves 
to the world from the charge of ingratitude towards their 
most deserving subject. They expressed their indigna- 
tion at the proceedings of Bobadilla, which they disa- 
vowed, as contrary to his instructions ; they promised 
that he should be immediately dismissed from his com- 
mand, and Columbus reinstated in all his privileges and 
dignities, and indemnified for the losses he had sustained. 
The latter expected, of course, to be immediately sent 
back in triumph to San Domingo, as Viceroy and Admiral 
of the Indies ; but in this he was doomed to experience a 
disappointment, which threw a gloom over the remainder 
of his days. The fact was that Ferdinand, however he 
may have disapproved of the violence of Bobadilla, was 
secretly well pleased with its effects. It had produced a 
temporary exclusion of Columbus from his high offices, 
and the politic monarch determined, in his heart, that he 
should never be restored to them. He had long repented 
having vested such great powers and prerogatives in any 
subject, particularly in a foreigner; but at the time of 
granting them he had no idea of the extent of the coun- 



SELFISH POLICY Of FERDINAND. 2/1 

tries over which they would be exercised. Recent dis- 
coveries, made by various individuals, showed them to be 
almost boundless. Vicente Yafiez Pinzon, one of the 
brave and intellii^ent family of navigators that had sailed 
with Columbus in his first voyage, had lately crossed the 
line, and explored the shores of the southern continent 
as far as Cape St. Augustine. Diego Lepe, another bold 
navigator of Palos, had doubled that cape, and beheld 
the continent stretching away out of sight, to the south- 
west. The report of every discoverer put it beyond a 
doubt that these countries must be inexhaustible in 
wealth, as they appeared to be boundless in extent. Yet 
over all these Columbus was to be Viceroy, with a share 
in their productions and the profits of their trade that 
must yield him an incalculable revenue. The selfish 
monarch appeared almost to consider himself outwitted 
in the arrangement he had made ; and every new dis- 
covery, instead of increasing his feeling of gratitude to 
Columbus, seemed only to make him repine at the grow- 
ing magnitude of his reward. 

Another grand consideration with the monarch was 
that Columbus was no longer indispensable to him. He 
had made his great discover}' ; he had struck out the 
route to the New World, and now any one could follow 
it. A number of able navigators had sprung up under 
his auspices, who were daily besieging the throne with 
offers to fit out expeditions at their own cost, and to 
yield a share of the [profits to the Crown. Why should 
he, therefore, confer princely dignities and prerogatives 
for that which men were daily offering to perform gra- 
tuitously ? 

Such, from his after conduct, appears to have been the 
jealous and selfish policy wh.ich actuated Ferdinand in 
forbearing to reinstate Columbus in those dignities and 



2/2 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

privileges which had been solemnly granted to him by 
treaty, and which it was acknowledged he had never for- 
feited by misconduct. Plausible reasons, however, were 
given for delaying his reappointment. It was observed, 
that the elements of those factions which had recently 
been in arms yet existed in the island, and might pro- 
duce fresh troubles, should Columbus return immedi- 
ately. It was represented as advisable, therefore, to send 
some officer of talent and discretion to supersede Boba- 
dilla, and to hold the government for two years, by which 
time all angry passions would be allayed and turbulent 
individuals removed. Columbus might then resume the 
command, with comfort to himself and advantage to the 
Crown. With this arrangement the Admiral was obliged 
to content himself. 

The person chosen to supersede Bobadilla was Don 
Nicholas de Ovando, commander of Lares, of the order 
of Alcantara. He is described as being of the middle 
size, with a fair complexion, a red beard, a modest look, 
yet a tone of authority ; fluent in speech, courteous in 
manners, prudent, just, temperate, and of great humility. 
Such is the picture drawn of him by some of his contem- 
poraries ; yet he appears, from his actions, to have been 
plausible and subtle, as well as fluent and courteous ; his 
humility concealed a great love of command ; he was a 
merciless scourge to the Indians, and in his dealings with 
Columbus he was both ungenerous and unjust. 

While the departure of Ovando was delayed by vari- 
ous circumstances, every arrival brought intelligence of 
the disastrous state of the island, under the administra- 
tion of Bobadilla, The latter was not so much a bad, as 
an imprudent and a weak, man. Imagining rigorous rule 
to be the rock on which his predecessor had split, he had 
at the very outset relaxed the reins of justice and moral- 



TYRANNY OF BOB A DILL A. 2/3 

ity, and, of course, had lost all command over the'commu- 
nity. In a little while such disorder and licentiousness 
ensued that many, even of the opponents of Columbus, 
looked back with regret to the strict but wholesome 
rule of himself and the adelantado. 

One dangerous indulgence granted to the colonists 
called for another, and each was ceded, in its turn, by 
Bobadilhi. He sold the farms and estates of the Crown 
at low prices, and granted universal permission to work 
ihe mines, on paying only an eleventh of tiie produce to 
government. To prevent any diminution in the reve- 
nues it became necessary to increase the quantity of gold 
collected. He enforced, therefore, the repartimientos, 
by which the cacique's were obliged to furnish parties of 
their subjects to work for the Spaniards in the field and 
in the mine. To carry these into more complete effect 
he made an enumeration of the natives of the island, re- 
duced them into classes, and distributed them, according 
to his favor or caprice, among the colonists. His con- 
stant exhortation to the Spaniards was, to produce large 
quantities of gold. " Make the most of your time," he 
would say, " there is no knowing how long it will last," 
alluding to the possibility of his being speedily recalled. 
The colonists acted up to his advice, and so hard did 
they drive the poor natives that the eleventh yielded 
more revenue than had ever been produced by the third, 
under the government of Columbus. In the meantime, 
the unhappy Indians sunk under the toils imposed upon 
them, and the severities by which they were enforced. 
A capricious tyranny was exercised over them by worth- 
less men, numbers of whom had been transported con- 
victs from the dungeons of Castile. These wretches as- 
sumed the tone of grand cavaliers, and insisted upon 
being attended by trains of servants ; they took the 
(i8) 



274 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

daughters and female relatives of caciques for their ser. 
vants or their concubines. In travelling, they obliged the 
natives to transport them on their shoulders in litters 
or hammocks, while others held umbrellas of palm leaves 
over their heads, and cooled them with fans of feathers. 
Sometimes the backs and shoulders of the unfortunate 
Indians who bore the litters were raw and bleeding from 
the task. When these arrogant upstarts arrived at an 
Indian village they capriciously seized upon and lavished 
the provisions of the inhabitants, and obliged the cacique 
and his subjects to dance for their amusement. They 
never addressed the natives but in the most degrading 
terms ; and for the least offence, or in a mere freak of ill- 
humor, they would inflict blows ahd lashes, and even 
death itself. 

The tidings of these abuses and of the wrongs of the 
natives grieved the spirit of Isabella, and induced her to 
urge the departure of Ovando. He was empowered to 
assume the command immediately on his arrival, and 
to send home Bobadilla by the return fleet. Hispaniola 
was to be the metropolis of the colonial government, 
which was to extend over the islands and Terra Firma. 
Ovando was to correct the late abuses, to revoke the 
improper licenses granted by Bobadilla, to lighten the 
burdens imposed upon the Indians, and to promote their 
religious instruction. He was, at the same time, to as- 
certain the injury sustained by Columbus in his late 
arrest and imprisonment, and the arrears of revenue that 
were due to him, that he might receive ample redress and 
compensation. The Admiral was to be allowed a resident 
agent in the island to attend to his affairs and guard his 
interests, to which ofifice Columbus immediately appoint- 
ed Alonzo Sanchez de Carvajal. 

Among various decrees on this occasion we find the 



SAILING OF OVA N DO. 275 

first trace of negro slavery in the New World. It was 
permitted to transport to the colony negro slaves born in 
Spain, the children and descendants of natives brought 
from Guinea, where the slave trade had for some time 
been carried on by the Spaniards and Portuguese. 
There are signal events in the course of history which 
sometimes bear the appearance of temporal judgments. 
It is a fact worthy of observation that Hispaniola, the 
place where this flagrant sin against nature and humanity 
was first introduced into the New World, has been the 
first to exhil:)it an instance of awful retribution. 

The fleet appointed to convey Ovando to his govern- 
ment put to sea on the 13th of February, 1502. It was 
the largest armament that had yet sailed to the New 
World, consisting of thirty sail, of various sizes, provided 
with all kinds of supplies for the colony. Twenty-five 
hundred souls embarked in this fleet, many of them per- 
sons of rank, with their families. Ovando was allowed a 
brilliant retinue, a body-guard of horsemen, and the use 
of silks, brocades, and precious stones, at that time for- 
bidden by the sumptuary laws of Spain. Such was the 
style in which a favorite of Ferdinand, a native subject 
of rank, was fitted out to enter upon the government 
withheld from Columbus. 



CHAPTER XXXVI. 

PROPOSITION OF COLUMHUS FOR A CRUSADE. — HIS 
PREPARATIONS FOR A FOURTH VOYAGE. [150O-I50I.J 

Columbus remained in the cit\- of Granada upwards 
of nine months, awaiting employment, and endeavoring 



276 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

to retrieve his affairs from the confusion into which they 
had been thrown. During this gloomy period he called 
to mind his vow to furnish, within seven years from the 
time of his discovery of the New World, an army of fifty 
thousand foot and five thousand horse for the recovery 
of the Holy Sepulchre. The time had elapsed, the vow 
remained unfulfilled, and the expected treasures that were 
to pay the army had never been realized. Destitute, 
therefore, of the means of accomplishing his pious pur- 
pose, he considered it his duty to incite the sovereigns 
to the enterprise ; and he felt emboldened to do so from 
having originally proposed it as the great object to which 
the profits of his discoveries should be directed. He 
set to work, therefore, with his accustomed zeal, to pre- 
pare arguments for the purpose. Aided by a Carthusian 
friar, he collected into a manuscript volume all the pas- 
sages in the Sacred Scriptures and in the writings of the 
Fathers which he conceived to contain mystic portents 
and prophecies of the discovery of the New World, the 
conversion of the Gentiles, and the recovery of the Holy 
Sepulchre; three great events which he considered des- 
tined to succeed each other, and to be accomplished 
through his agency. He prepared, at the same time, a 
long letter to the sovereigns, written with his usual fervor 
of spirit and simplicity of heart, urging them to set on 
foot a crusade for the conquest of Jerusalem. It is a 
singular composition, which lays open the visionary part 
of his character, and shows the mystic and speculative 
reading with which he was accustomed to nurture his 
solemn and soaring imagination.* 

It must be recollected that this was a scheme medi- 

* The manuscript volume, including the letter, still exists in the Colum- 
bian library of the cathedral of Seville, and has been inspected with great 
interest by the writer of this history. 



RICHES OF THE INDIES. 2'J-J 

tated in mchincboly and enthusiastic moods, in the courts 
of the Alhambra, among the splendid remains of Moorish 
grandeur, where, but a few years before, he had beheld 
the standard of the faith elevated in triumph above the 
symbols of infidelit)-. It was in unison with the temper 
of the times, when the cross and sword frequently went 
together, and religion was made the pretext for the most 
desolating wars. Whetiier Columbus ever presented this 
book to the sovereigns is uncertain; it is probable that 
he did not, as his thoughts suddenly returned, with re- 
newed ardor, to their wonted channels, and he conceived 
a leading object for another enterprise of discovery. 

Vasco de Gama had recently accomplished the long- 
attempted navigation to India by the Cape of Good 
Hope, and Pedro Alvarez Cabral, following in his track, 
had returned with his vessels laden with the precious 
merchandise of the East. The riches of Calicut were 
now the theme of every tongue. The discoveries of the 
savage regions of the New World had as yet brought but 
little revenue to Spain, but this route to the East Indies 
was pouring in immediate wealth on Portugal. 

Columbus was roused to emulation, and trusted he 
could discover a route to those oriental regions more 
easy and direct than that of Vasco de Gama. Accord- 
ing to his own observations, and the reports of other 
navigators, the coast of Terra Firma stretched far to the 
westward. The southern coast of Cuba, which he con- 
sidered a part of the Asiatic continent, stretched onward 
towards the same point. The currents of the Caribbean 
Sea must pass between these lands. He was persuaded, 
therefore, that a strait must exist somewhere thereabout, 
opening into the Indian Sea. The situation in which he 
placed his conjectural strait was somewhere about what 
is at present called the Isthmus of Darien. Could he 



278 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

but discover such a passages, and thus link the New World 
he had discovered with the opulent oriental countries of 
the old, he felt that he should make a magnificent close 
to his labors. 

He Unfolded his plan to the sovereigns, and, though it 
met with some narrow-minded opposition on the part of 
certain of the royal counsellors, it was promptly adopted, 
and he was empowered to fit out an armament to carry it 
into effect. He accordingly departed for Seville in the 
autumn of 1501 to make the necessary preparations; but 
such were the delays caused by the artifices of Fonseca 
and his agents, that it was not until the following month 
of May that he was able to put to sea. 

Before sailing, he took measures to provide against 
any misfortune that might happen to himself in so distant 
and perilous an expedition. He caused copies to be 
made and authenticated of all the royal letters patent of 
his dignities and privileges; of his letter to the nurse of 
Prince Juan, containing a vindication of his conduct ; and 
of two letters assigning to the Bank of St. George, at 
Genoa, a tenth of his revenues to be employed in dimin- 
ishing the duties on provisions in his native city. These 
two sets of documents he sent by different hands to his 
friend, Doctor Nicolo Odorigo, who had been Genoese 
ambassador to the court of Spain, requesting him to de- 
posit them in some safe place at Genoa, and to apprise 
his son Diego of the same. 

He wrote also to Pope Alexander the Seventh, men- 
tioning his vow to furnish an army for a crusade, but 
informing him of his being prevented from fulfilling it 
by being divested of his government. He promised his 
Holiness, however, on his return from his present voyage 
to repair immediately to Rome, and render him an ac- 
count of all his expeditions. 



THE FOURTH VOYAGE. 2jg 



CHAPTER XXXVII. 

COLUMBUS SAILS ON HIS LOUKTII VOYAGE. — EVENTS AT 
THE ISLAND OF IHSPANIOLA. — HIS SEARCH AFTER 
AN IMAGINARY STRAIT. [1502.J 

Age was rapidly making its advances upon Columbus 
when he undertook his fourth voyage of discovery. He 
was now about sixty-six years old. His constitution, 
originally vigorous in the extreme, had been impaired by 
hardships and exposures in every clime, and by the men- 
tal sufferings he had undergone. His intellectual powers 
alone retained their wonted energy, prompting him, at 
a period of life when most men seek repose, to sally forth 
with youthful ardor on the most toilsome and adventur- 
ous of enterprises. In this arduous voyage he was ac- 
companied by his brother Don Bartholomew, who com- 
manded one of the vessels, and by his son Fernando, 
then in his fourteenth year. 

Columbus sailed from Cadiz on the 9th of May, 1502. 
His squadron consisted of four caravels, the largest of 
but seventy tons burden, the smallest of fifty ; the crews 
amounted in all to one hundred and fifty men. With 
this little armament and these slender barks he under- 
took the search after a strait, which, if found, must con- 
duct him into the most remote seas, and lead to a com- 
plete circumnavigation of the globe. After touching at 
the Canaries, he had a prosperous voyage to the Caribbec 
Islands, arriving on the 15th of June at IMantinino, at 
present called Martinique. He had originally intended 
to steer to Jamaica, and from thence for the continent, 
in search of the supposed strait ; but one of his vessels 



28o THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS, 

proving a dull sailer, he bore away for Hispaniola to ex- 
change it for one of the fleet which had recently taken 
out Ovando. This was contrary to his orders, which had 
expressly forbidden him to touch at Hispaniola until his 
return homewards, lest his presence should cause some 
agitation in the island ; he trusted, however, the circum- 
stances of the case would plead his excuse. 

Columbus arrived off the harbor of San Domingo at an 
unpropitious moment. The place was filled with the 
most virulent of his enemies, many of whom were in a 
high state of exasperation from recent proceedings which 
had taken place against them. The fleet which had 
brought out Ovando lay in the harbor, ready to put to 
sea; and was to take out Roldan, and many of his late 
adherents, some of whom were under arrest, and to be 
tried in Spain. Bobadilla was to embark in the principal 
ship, on board of which he had put an immense amount 
of gold, the revenue collected for the government during 
his administration, and which he confidently expected 
would atone for all his faults. Among the presents he 
intended for the sovereigns was one mass of virgin gold, 
which is famous in the old Spanish chronicles. It was 
said to weigh three thousand six hundred castillanos. 
Large quantities of gold had also been shipped in the 
fleet by the followers of Roldan, and other adventurers; 
the wealth gained by the sufferings of the unhappy 
natives. 

It was on the 29th of June that Columbus arrived at 
the mouth of the river, and sent an officer on shore to 
explain to the governor the purpose of his visit ; he re- 
quested permission, moreover, to shelter his squadron in 
the river, as he apprehended an approaching storm. His 
request was refused by Ovando, who probably had orders 
from the sovereigns to that effect, and perhaps was fur- 



AT THE MERCY OF THE STORM. 28 1 

ther swayed by prudent considerations. Columbus then 
sent a second message, entreating that the saiUng of the 
fleet might be delayed, as there were indubitable signs of 
an approaching tempest. This request was as fruitless 
as the preceding ; the weather, to an inexperienced eye, 
was fair and tranquil, and the warning of the Admiral 
was treated with ridicule, as the prediction of a false 
prophet. 

Columbus retired from the river, indignant at being 
denied relief and refused shelter in the very island which 
he had discovered. His crew murmured loudlv at being 
excluded from a port of their own nation, where even 
strangers, under similar circumstances, would be admitted ; 
and they repined at having embarked with a commander 
who was liable to such treatment. Columbus, feeling con- 
fident that a storm was at hand, kept his feeble squadron 
close to shore, and sought for shelter in some wild bay or 
river of the island. 

In the meantime the fleet of Bobadilla set sail from 
San Domingo, and stood out confidently to sea. Within 
two days the predictions of Columbus were verified. 
One of those tremendous storms which sometimes sweep 
those latitudes had gradually gathered up and begun to 
blow. The little squadron of Columbus remained for a 
time tolerably well sheltered by the land, but the tempest 
increasing and the night coming on, with unusual dark- 
ness, the ships lost sight of each other and were separated. 
The Admiral still kept close to the shore, and sustained 
no damage. The three other vessels ran out for sea-room, 
and for several days were driven about at the mercy of 
wind and wave, fearful each moment of shipwreck, and 
giving up each other as lost. Tlic adelantado, who com- 
manded the worst vessel of the squadron, ran the most 
imminent hazard, and nothing but his consummate sea- 



282 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

manship enabled him to keep her afloat ; he lost his long- 
boat, and all the other vessels sustained more or less 
injury. At length, after various vicissitudes, they all ar- 
rived safe at Port Hermoso, to the west of San Domingo. 

A different fate befell the other armament. The ship 
on board of which were Bobadilla, Roldan, and a number 
of the most inveterate enemies of Columbus, was swal- 
lowed up with all its crew, and with the celebrated mass 
of gold, and the principal part of the ill-gotten treasure 
gained by the miseries of the Indians. Many of the other 
ships were entirely lost, some returned to San Domingo 
in shattered condition, and only one was enabled to con- 
tinue her voyage to Spain. That one, it is said, was the 
weakest of the fleet, and had on board of it four thousand 
pieces of gold, the property of the Admiral, remitted to 
Spain by his agent Carvajal. Both Fernando Columbus 
and the venerable historian Las Casas looked upon this 
event as one of those awful judgments which seem at 
times to deal forth temporal retribution. They notice 
the circumstance that, while the enemies of the Admiral 
were thus, as it were, before his eyes, swallowed up in the 
raging sea, the only ship enabled to pursue her voyage 
was the frail bark freighted with his property. Many of 
the superstitious seamen, who, from the sagacity displayed 
by Columbus in judging of the signs of the elements and 
his variety of scientific knowledge, looked upon him as 
endowed with supernatural powers, fancied he had con- 
jured up this storm by magic spells for the destruction of 
his enemies. The evils in this, as in most of the cases 
called temporal judgments, overwhelmed the innocent 
with the guilty. In the same ship with Bobadilla and 
Roldan perished the captive Guarionex, the unfortunate 
cacique of the vega. 

After repairing the damages sustained by his ships in 




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284 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

the storm, Columbus steered for Terra Firma ; but the 
weather falling perfectly calm, he was swept away to the 
northwest by the currents, until he arrived on the south- 
ern coast of Cuba. The wind springing up fair, he re- 
sumed his course, and standing to the southwest, was 
enabled, on the 30t h of July, to make the island of Gua- 
naga, a few leagues distant from the coast of Honduras. 
While the adelantado was on shore at this island a canoe 
arrived, of an immense size, on board of which sat a ca- 
cique with his wives and children, under an awning of 
palm leaves. The canoe was paddled by twenty-five In- 
dians, and freighted with various merchandise, the rude 
manufactures and natural productions of the adjacent 
countries. There were hatchets and other utensils of 
copper, with a kind of crucible for the melting of that 
metal. Various vessels neatly formed of clay, marble, 
and hard wood ; mantles of cotton, worked and dyed with 
various colors, and many other articles which indicated a 
superior degree of art and civilization than had hitherto 
been discovered in the New World. 

The Indians, as far as they could be understood, in- 
formed the Admiral that they had come from a country 
rich, cultivated, and industrious, situated to the west, and 
urged him to steer in that direction. Well would it 
have been for Columbus had he followed their advice. 
Within a day or two he would have arrived at Yucatan ; 
the discovery of Mexico and the other opulent countries 
of New Spain would have necessarily followed, the 
Southern Ocean would have been disclosed to him, and 
a succession of splendid discoveries would have shed 
fresh glory on his declining age, instead of its sinking 
amidst gloom, neglect, and disappointment. 

The Admiral's whole mind, however, was at present 
intent upon discovering the supposed strait that was to 



COASTING ALONG CAPE HONDURAS. 2S5 

lead liiiii to the Indian Ocean, lie stood, therefore, 
southwardly for some mountains which he descried not 
many leagues distant, made Cape Honduras, and from 
thence proceeded eastwardly, beating against contrary 
winds, and struggling with the currents which sweep that 
coast. There was an almost incessant tempest, with 
heavy rain and awful thunder and lightning. His vessels 
were strained so that their seams opened, the sails and 
rigging were rent, and the provisions damaged by the 
rain and the leakage. The sailors were exhausted with 
fatigue and harassed with terror. Several times they 
confessed their sins to each other, and prepared for 
death. During a great part of this time Columbus suf- 
fered extremely from the gout, and his complaint was 
aggravated b}' watchfulness and anxiety. His illness did 
not prevent his attending to his duties ; he had a small 
cabin or roundhouse constructed on the stern, from 
whence, even when confined to his bed, he could keep a 
lookout, and regulate the sailing of the ships. Many 
times he was so ill that he thought his end approaching, 
and his anxious mind was distressed at the thoughts 
that his brother, Don Bartholomew, and his son Fer- 
nando were exposed to the same dangers and hardships. 
Often, too, his thoughts reverted to his son Diego, and 
the cares and misfortunes into which his death might 
plunge him. At length, after struggling for upwards of 
forty days to make a distance of about seventy leagues, 
he arrived, on the 14th of September, at a cape where the 
coast made a sudden bend, and turned directly south. 
Doubling tiiis cape, he had immediately an easy wind, 
and swept off with flowing sail, in consequence of which 
he gave it the name of Gracias a Dios, or. Thanks to 
God. 

For three weeks he continued coasting what is at pres- 



286 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

ent called the Mosquito shore, in the course of which a 
boat with its crew was swallowed up by the sudden swell- 
ing of a river. He had occasional interviews with the 
natives, but a mutual distrust prevailed between them and 
the Spaniards. The Indians were frightened at seeing a 
notary of the fleet take out pen, ink, and paper, and pro- 
ceed to write down the information they were communi- 
cating ; they supposed he was working some magic spell, 
and to counteract it they scattered a fragrant powder in 
the air, and burnt it, so that the smoke should be borne 
towards the Spaniards. The superstitious seamen looked 
upon these counter charms with equal distrust. They 
suspected the people of this coast to be great enchanters, 
and that all the delays and hardships they had experi- 
enced were in consequence of the ships being under some 
evil spell wrought by their magic arts. Even Columbus 
and his son and historian Fernando appear to have been 
tinctured with this superstition, which, indeed, is char- 
acteristic of the age. 

On the 5th of October Columbus arrived at what is at 
present called Costa Rica (or, the Rich Coast), from the 
gold and silver mines found in after years among its 
mountains. Here he began to find ornaments of pure 
gold among the natives. These increased in quantity 
when he came to what has since been called the coast 
of Veragua, where he was assured that the richest mines 
were to be found. In sailing along these coasts he re- 
ceived repeated accounts of a great kingdom in the west, 
called Ciguare, at the distance of several days' journey, 
where, as far as he could understand the imperfect 
explanations of his interpreters, the inhabitants wore 
crowns and bracelets and anklets of gold, and employed 
it in embroidering their garments and ornamenting and 
embossing their furniture. They were armed also, like 







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288 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

the Spaniards, with swords, bucklers, and cuirasses, and 
were mounted on horses. The country was described 
also as being commercial, with seaports, in which ships 
arrived armed with cannon. Above all, Columbus under- 
stood that the sea continued round to this kingdom of 
Ciguare, and that ten days beyond it was the Ganges. 

These were evidently rumors of the distant kingdom of 
Mexico, imperfectly interpreted to Columbus, and shaped 
and colored by his imagination. He concluded that this 
country must be some province belonging to the Grand 
Khan, and must lie on the opposite side of a peninsula, 
and that he would soon arrive at a strait leading into the 
Indian Sea, which washed its shores. The supposed 
vicinity of the Ganges caused no surprise, as he had 
adopted the opinion of certain ancient philosophers who 
gave the world a smaller circumference than was gener- 
ally imagined, and but fifty-six miles and two-thirds to a 
degree of the equinoctial line. 

With these erroneous but ingenious ideas, Columbus 
continued to press forward in search of the imaginary 
strait, contending with adverse winds and currents, and 
meeting with great hostility from the natives ; for the 
Indians of these coasts were fierce and warlike, and many 
of the tribes are supposed to have been of Carib origin. 
At sight of the ships the forests would resound with yells 
and war-whoops, with wooden drums, and the blasts of 
conchs, and on landing the shores would be lined with 
savage warriors, armed with clubs and lances, and swords 
of palm wood. 

At length, having discovered and named Puerto Bello, 
and continued beyond Cape Nombre de Dios, Columbus 
arrived at a small and narrow harbor, to which he gave 
the name of El Retrcte, or The Cabinet. Here he had 
reached the point to which Bastides, an enterprising 



SET OUT FOR VERAGUA. 289 

voyager, coasting from the eastward, had recently ex- 
plored. Whether Columbus knew or not of the voyage 
of this discoverer does not clearly appear, but here he 
was induced to give up all further attempt to find the 
strait. The seamen were disheartened by the constant 
opposition of the winds and currents, and by the con- 
dition of the ships, which were pierced in all parts by the 
teredo or worm so destructive in the tropical seas. They 
considered themselves still under an evil spell, worked 
by the Indian sorcerers, and the commanders remon- 
strated against forcing their way any farther in spite of 
the elements, with ships so crazed and leaky. Columbus 
yielded to their solicitations and determined to return to 
the coast of Veragua, and search for the mines which 
were said to abound there. 

Here, then, ended the lofty anticipations which had 
elevated him above all mercenary views in his struggle 
along these perilous coasts, and had given a heroic char- 
acter to the early part of his voyage. It is true, he 
had been in pursuit of a mere chimera, but it was the 
chimera of a splendid imagination and a penetrating 
judgment. The subsequent discovery of the Pacific 
Ocean, bathing the opposite shores of that narrow isth- 
mus, has proved that a great part of his theory was well 
founded. 



CHAPTER XXXVIII. 

RETURN TO THE COAST OF VERAGUA. — CONTESTS WITH 
THE NATIVES. [1502.] 

On the 5th of December Columbus sailed from El 
Retrete, to return westward in search of the gold mines 
of Veragua. He had not proceeded far, however, when 
19 



290 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

the wind suddenly veered to the west, the point from 
whence, for three months, he had been wishing it to 
blow, but from whence it now came only to contradict 
him. In a little while it became so variable and furious 
as to baffle all seamanship. For nine days the vessels 
were tossed about at the mercy of a raging tempest, in 
an unknown sea, and often exposed to the awful perils 
of a lee shore. The sea, according to the description of 
Columbus, boiled at times like a a caldron ; at other 
times it ran in mountain waves, covered with foam. At 
night, the raging billows sparkled with luminous parti- 
cles which made them resemble great surges of flame. 
For a day and a night the heavens glowed like a furnace, 
with incessant flashes of lightning ; while the loud claps 
of thunder were often mistaken by the mariners for 
signal guns of distress from their foundering compan- 
ions. During the whole time there was such a deluge 
of rain that the seamen were almost drowned in their 
open vessels. 

In the midst of this wild tumult of the elements they 
beheld a new object of alarm. The ocean in one place 
became strangely agitated. The water was whirled up 
into a kind of pyramid or cone, while a livid cloud, ta- 
pering to a point, bent down to meet it. Joining to- 
gether, they formed a column, which rapidly approached 
the ships, spinning along the surface of the deep, and 
drawing up the waters with a rushing sound. The af- 
frighted mariners, when they beheld this waterspout 
advancing towards them, despaired of averting it by 
human means, and began to repeat certain passages from 
St. John the Evangelist. The waterspout passed close 
by their ships without injuring them, and they attributed 
their escape to the miraculous efficacy of their quotations 
from the Scriptures. 



ARRIVAL AT VERAGUA. 29I 

An interval of calm succeeded, but even this afforded 
but little consolation to the tcmpcst-tost mariners ; they 
looked upon it as deceitful, and beheld with alarm great 
numbers of sharks, so abundant and ravenous in those 
latitudes, roaming about the ships. Among the supersti- 
tions of the seas is the belief that these voracious fish 
have not only the faculty of smelling dead bodies at a 
distance, but have a presentiment of their prey, and keep 
about vessels which have sick persons on board, or which 
are in danger of being wrecked. 

For three weeks longer they continued to be driven to 
and fro by changeable and tempestuous winds, endeavor- 
ing to make a distance of merely thirty leagues, inso- 
much that Columbus gave this line of seaboard the name 
of La Costa de los Contrastes^ or the Coast of Contra- 
dictions. At length, to his great joy, he arrived on the 
day of Epiphany (the 6th of January) on the coast of 
Veragua, and anchored in a river, to which, in honor of 
the day, he gave the name of Belen or Bethlehem. 

The natives of the neighborhood manifested the same 
fierce and warlike character that generally prevailed 
along this coast. They were soon conciliated, however, 
and brought many ornaments of fine gold to traflfic ; but 
assured the Admiral that the mines lay near the river 
Veragua, which was about two leagues distant. The ade- 
lantado had an interview with Ouibian, the cacique of 
Veragua, who afterwards visited the ships. He was a 
stern warrior, of tall and powerful frame, and taciturn 
and cautious character. A few days afterwards the ade- 
lantado, attended by sixty-eight men well armed, pro- 
ceeded to explore the Veragua, and seek its reputed 
mines. They ascended the river about a league and a 
half, to the village of Quibian, which was situated on a 
hill. The cacique descended with a numerous train of 











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FINDING GOLD. 293 

his subjects, unarmed, and took his seat on a great stoae, 
whicli one of his attendants drew out of the river. He 
received his guests with courtesy, for the loft)', vigor- 
ous, and iron form of the adehintado, and iiis resolute 
demeanor, were calculated to inspire awe and respect in 
an Indian warrior. Though his jealousy was evidently 
awakened by the intrusion of the Spaniards into his ter- 
ritories, yet he readily furnished Don Bartholomew with 
guides to conduct him to the mines. These guides led 
the adelantado and his men about six leagues into the 
interior, among thick forests of lofty and magnificent 
trees, where they told them the mines were situated. In 
fact, the whole soil appeared to be impregnated with gold, 
and the Spaniards collected a considerable quantit}' from 
the surface of the earth, and from among the roots of the 
trees. From hence the adelantado was conducted to 
the summit of a high hill, which overlooked an immense 
extent of country, with various villages, and the guides 
assured him that the whole land, to the distance of 
twenty days' journey westward, abounded in gold. 

Another expedition of Don Bartholomew along the 
coast, westward, was equally satisfactory ; and the re- 
ports which he brought of golden tracts of country, to- 
gether with the rumors of a rich and civilized kingdom 
in the interior, and the erroneous idea with respect to 
the vicinity of the Ganges, all concurred to produce a 
new illusion in the ardent mind of Columbus. Me fan- 
cied that he had actuall)' arrived at the Aurea Cherso- 
nesus, from whence, according to Josephus, the gold had 
been procured for the building of the temple of Jerusa- 
lem. Here, then, was a place at which to found a col- 
ony and establish a mart, which should become an em- 
porium of the wealth of a vast region of mines. His 
brother, Don Bartholomew, concurred with him in opin- 



294 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

ion, and agreed to remain here with the greater part of 
the people, while the Admiral should return to Spain for 
supplies and reinforcements. 

They immediately proceeded to carry their plan into 
operation. Eighty men were selected to remain. Houses 
of wood, thatched with palm leaves, were erected on the 
high bank of a creek, about a bowshot within the mouth 
of the river Belen. A storehouse was built to receive 
part of the ammunition, artillery, and stores ; the rest 
was put on board of one of the caravels, which was to 
be left for the use of the colony. 

The houses being sufBciently finished to be habitable, 
the Admiral prepared for his departure, when he found, 
to his surprise, that the river, which on his arrival had 
been swollen by rain, had subsided to such a degree 
that there was not above half a fathom of water on the 
bar. Though his vessels were small, it was impossible to 
draw them over the sands at the mouth of the river, on 
account of a heavy surf. He was obliged, therefore, to 
wait until the rains should again swell the river. 

In the meantime Quibian beheld with secret indigna- 
tion these strangers intruding themselves into his domin- 
ions. Columbus had sought to secure his friendship by 
various presents, but in vain. The cacique, ignorant of 
the vast superiority of the Europeans in the art of war, 
thought it easy to overwhelm and destroy them. He 
sent messengers around, and ordered all his fighting men 
to assemble at his residence, under pretext of making 
war upon a neighboring province. The movements of 
the Indians awakened the suspicions of one Diego Men- 
dez, chief notary of the armament. He was a man of 
zeal and spirit, of a shrewd and prying character, and 
entirely devoted to the Admiral. He mingled among 
the Indians, and observed circumstances which satisfied 



SUSPICIOA'S 01' MENDEZ. 



295 



him that they were 
nieditatiiiL^ an attack. 
The Admiral was loth 
to believe it, and was 
desirous of clearer in- 
formation before he 
took any step that 
might interrupt the 
pacific intercourse 
that yet prevailed. 
The indefatigable 
Mendez now under- 
took a service of life 
and death. Accom- 
panied by a single 
companion, he pene- 
trated as a spy to the 
very residence of Qui- 
bian, who, they heard, 
had been wounded in 
the leg by an arrow. 
Mentlez gave himself 
out as a surgeon come 
to cure the wound, and 
made his way to the 
mansion of the grim 
warrior, which was sit- 
uated on the crest of 
a hill, and surrounded 
by three hundred 
heads, on stakes — dis- 
mal trophies of the 
enemies he had vanquished in battle. Undismayed by 
this sight, Mendez endeavored to enter, but was met at 




A CACIQUE. 
Redratun /rotn Inga's " West Indische Spieghel ." 



296 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

the threshold by the son of the cacique, who repulsed 
him with a violent blow that made him recoil several 
paces. He managed to pacify the furious young savage 
by taking out a box of ointment, and assuring him that he 
only came for the purpose of curing his father's wounds. 
He then made him presents of a comb, scissors, and mir- 
ror, taught him and his Indians the use of them in cut- 
ting and arranging their hair, and thus ingratiated him- 
self with them by administering to their vanity. It was 
impossible, however, to gain admittance to the cacique ; 
but Mendez saw enough to convince him that the at- 
tack was about to be carried into effect, and that it was 
merely delayed by the wound of the cacique; he has- 
tened back, therefore, to Columbus with the intelligence. 

An Indian interpreter, a native of the neighborhood, 
corroborated the report of Mendez. He informed the 
Admiral that Quibian intended to come secretly, in the 
dead of the night, with all his warriors, to set fire to 
the ships and houses, and massacre the Spaniards. 

When the adelantado heard of this plot he conceived 
a counterplot to defeat it, which he carried into effect 
with his usual promptness and resolution. Taking with 
him seventy-four men, well armed, among whom was 
Diego Mendez, and being accompanied by the Indian in- 
terpreter who had revealed the conspiracy, he set off in 
boats to the mouth of the Veragua, ascended it rapidly, 
and landed in the night at the village of the cacique, 
before the Indians could have notice of his approach. 
Lest Quibian should take the alarm and fly, he ascended 
to his house, accompanied only by Diego Mendez and 
four other men, ordering the rest to come on gradually 
and secretly, and at the discharge of an arquebuse to 
rush up and surround the house, and sufTer no one to 
escape. 



QUIBIAN IS OVERPOWERED. 297 

The cacique, hearing of his approach, came forth, and 
seating himself in the portal, desired him to advance 
singly. Don Bartholomew complied, ordering Diego 
Mende/, and his four companions to remain at a little 
distance, but to rush to his aid at a concerted signal. 
He then advanced, addressed the cacique by means of 
the interpreter, inquired about his wound, and pretend- 
ing to examine it, took him by the arm. This was the 
signal, at which four of the Spaniards rushed forward; 
the fifth discharged the arquebuse. A violent struggle 
ensued between Don Bartholomew and the cacique, who 
were both men of great muscular force ; but with the 
assistance of Diego Mendez and his companions, Ouibian 
was overpowered, and bound hand and foot. In the 
meantime the main body of the Spaniards surrounded 
the house, and captured the wives and children of the 
cacique, and several of his principal subjects. The pris- 
oners were sent off to the ships, while the adelantado, 
with a part of his men, remained on shore to pursue the 
Indians who had escaped. 

The cacique was conveyed to the boats by Juan San- 
chez, the principal pilot of the squadron, a powerful and 
spirited man. The adelantado charged him to be on his 
guard against any attempt at rescue or escape. The 
sturdy pilot replied that if the cacique escaped from his 
clutches he would give them leave to pluck out his beard 
hair by hair. On arriving at the boat, he secured his 
prisoner by a strong cord to one of the benches. It was 
a dark night ; as the boat proceeded down the river, the 
cacique complained piteously of the painfulness of his 
bonds, until the rough heart of the pilot was touched 
with compassion. He loosened the cord, therefore, by 
which Quibian was tied to the bench, keeping the end 
of it in his hand. The wily Indian now watcheil his 



298 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

opportunity, and plunged suddenly into the water, with 
such violence that the pilot had to let go the cord, lest 
he should be drawn in after him. The darkness of the 
night, and the bustle which took place in preventing the 
escape of the other prisoners, rendered it impossible to 
pursue the cacique, or even to ascertain his fate. Juan 
Sanchez hastened to the ships with the residue of the 
captives, deeply mortified at being thus outwitted by a 
savage. 

The adelantado remained all night on shore, but on 
the following morning, seeing the wild and rugged nature 
of the country, he gave up all further pursuit of the In- 
dians, and returned to the ships with the spoils of the 
cacique's mansion, consisting of bracelets, anklets, and 
massive plates of gold, and two golden coronets. One- 
fifth of the booty was set apart for the Crown, the resi- 
due was shared among those concerned in the enterprise, 
and one of the coronets was assigned to the adelantado 
as a trophy of his exploit. 



CHAPTER XXXIX. 

DISASTERS OF THE SETTLEMENT. [1503.] 

Satisfied that the vigorous measure of the adelan- 
tado had struck terror into the Indians and crushed their 
hostile designs, Columbus took advantage of a swelling 
of the river to pass the bar with three of his caravels, 
leavingf the fourth for the use of the settlement. He 
then anchored within a league of the shore, until a favor- 
able wind should spring up for Hispaniola. 

The cacique Quibian had not perished in the river, as 



ESCAPE OF QUIBIAN. 299 

some had supposed. Plunging to the bottom, he swam 
for some distance below the surface, and then emerging, 
escaped to the shore. His home, however, was desolate, 
and, to complete his despair, he saw the vessels standing 
out to sea, bearing away his wives and children captives. 
Furious for revenge, he gathered together a great num- 
ber of his warriors, and assailed the settlement when the 
Spaniards were scattered and off their guard. The In- 
dians launched their javelins through the roofs of the 
houses, which were of palm leaves, or hurled them in 
at the windows, or thrust them between the logs which 
composed the walls, and wounded several of the Span- 
iards. On the first alarm, the adelantado seized a lance, 
and sallied forth with seven or eight of his men ; Diego 
Mendez brought several others to his assistance. They 
had a short skirmish : one Spaniard was killed and eight 
wounded ; the adelantado received a thrust in the breast 
with a javelin ; but they succeeded in repulsing the In- 
dians with considerable loss, and driving them into the 
forest. 

During the skirmish, a boat came on shore from the 
ships to procure wood and water. It was commanded 
by Diego Tristan, a captain of one of the caravels. 
When the Indians were put to flight, he proceeded up 
the river, in quest of fresh water, disregarding the warn- 
ing counsels of those on shore. 

The boat had ascended about a league above the vil- 
lage, to a part of the river overshadowed by lofty banks 
and spreading trees. Suddenly the forest resounded 
with yells and war-whoops, and the blasts of conchs. A 
shower of missiles was rained from the shores, and canoes 
darted out from creeks and coves, filled with warriors, 
brandishing their weapons. The Spaniards, losing all 
presence of mind, neglected to use their firearms, and 



300 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

only sought to shelter themselves with their bucklers. 
The captain, Diego Tristan, though covered with wounds, 
endeavored to animate his men, when a javelin pierced 
his right eye and struck him dead. The canoes now 
closed upon the boat, and massacred the crew. One 
Spaniard alone escaped, who, having fallen overboard, 
dived to the bottom, swam under water, and escaped un- 
perceived to shore, bearing tidings of the massacre to the 
settlement. The Spaniards were so alarmed at the in- 
telligence, and at the thoughts of the dangers that were 
thickening around them, that, notwithstanding the re- 
monstrances of the adelantado, they determined to em- 
bark in the caravel, and abandon the place altogether. 
On making the attempt, however, they found that, the 
torrents having subsided, the river was again shallow, and 
it was impossible for the caravel to pass over the bar. 
A high sea and boisterous surf also prevented their send- 
ing off a boat to the Admiral, with intelligence of their 
danger. While thus cut off from all retreat or succor, 
horrors increased upon them. The mangled bodies of 
Diego Tristan and his men came floating down the 
stream, and drifting about the harbor, with flights of 
crows and other carrion birds feeding on them, and hov- 
ering and screaming and fighting about their prey. 

In the meantime, the dismal sound of conchs and war- 
drums was heard in every direction in the bosom of the 
surrounding forest, showing that the enemy was aug- 
menting in number, and preparing for further hostilities. 
The adelantado, therefore, deemed it unsafe to remain 
in the village, which was adjacent to the woods. He 
chose an open place on the shore, where he caused a kind 
of bulwark to be made of the boat of the caravel, and of 
casks and sea-chests. Two places were left open as em- 
brasures, in which were mounted a couple of falconets, 




< 

o 

o 



o 
X 

H 
< 

a 



^ 






ft 



302 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

or small pieces of artillery. In this little fortress the 
Spaniards shut themselves up, and kept the Indians at a 
distance by the terror of their firearms ; but they were 
exhausted by watching and by incessant alarms, and 
looked forward with despondency to the time when 
their ammunition should be exhausted, or they should 
be driven forth by hunger to seek for food. 

While the Spaniards were exposed to such imminent 
peril on shore, great anxiety prevailed on board of the 
ships. Day after day elapsed without the return of 
Diego Tristan and his party, and it was feared that some 
disaster had befallen them. But one boat remained for 
the service of the ships, and they dared not risk it in the 
rough sea and heavy surf, to send it on shore for intelli- 
gence. A circumstance occurred to increase the anxiety 
of the crews. The Indian prisoners were confined in the 
forecastle of one of the caravels. In the night they sud- 
denly burst open the hatch, several flung themselves into 
the sea and swam to the shore ; the rest were secured and 
forced back into the forecastle, but such was their un- 
conquerable spirit and their despair that they hanged 
or strangled themselves with ends of cords which lay 
about in their prison, and in the morning were all found 
dead. 

The escape of some of the prisoners gave great uneasi- 
ness to the Admiral, fearing they would stimulate their 
countrymen to some new act of vengeance. Still it was 
impossible to send a boat on shore. At length, one 
Pedro Ledesma, a man of great strength and resolution, 
volunteered, if the boat would take him to the edge of 
the surf, to plunge into the sea, swim to the shore, and 
bring off intelligence. He succeeded, and on his return 
informed the Admiral of all the disasters of the settle- 
ment ; the attack by the Indians, and the massacre of 



ABANDONMENT OF THE SETTLEMENT. 303 

Diego Tristan and his boat's crew. He found the Span- 
iards in tiieir forlorn fortress, in a complete state of 
insubordination. They were preparing canoes, to take 
them to the ships when the weather should moderate. 
They threatened that, if the Admiral refused to take 
them on board, they would embark in the remaining car- 
avel, as soon as it could be extricated from the river, and 
would abandon themselves to the mercy of the seas, 
rather than continue on that fatal coast. 

The Admiral was deeply afiflictcd at this intelligence ; 
but there appeared no alternative but to embark all the 
people, abandon the settlement for the present, and re- 
turn at a future day, with a force competent to take secure 
possession of the country. The state of the weather ren- 
dered the execution even of this plan doubtful. The 
high wind and boisterous waves still prevented communi- 
cation, and the situation of those at sea, in crazy and 
feebly manned ships, on a lee shore, was scarcely less 
perilous than that of their comrades on the land. Every 
hour increased the anxiety of the Admiral. Days of con- 
stant perturbation and nights of sleepless anguish preyed 
upon a constitution broken by age and hardships. 
Amidst the acute maladies of the body and the fever 
of the mind, he appears to have been visited by partial 
delirium. In a letter to the sovereigns he gives an account 
of a kind of vision which comforted him when full of 
despondency, and tossing upon a couch of pain. In the 
silence of the night, when, wearied and sighing, he had 
fallen into a slumber, he thought he heard a voice 
reproaching him with his want of confidence in God. 
" Oh, fool, and slow to believe thy God ! " exclaimetl the 
voice; " what did he more for Moses or for his servant 
David? From the time that thou wert born he has ever 
taken care of thee. When he saw thee of a fitting age 



304 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

he made thy name to resound marvellously throughout 
the world. The Indies, those rich parts of the earth, he 
gave thee for thine own, and empowered thee to dispose 
of them to others according to thy pleasure. He delivered 
thee the keys of the gates of the ocean sea shut up by 
such mighty chains, and thou wert obeyed in many lands, 
and didst acquire honorable fame among Christians. . . . 
Thou dost call despondingly for succor. Answer ! who 
has af^icted thee? God, or the world? The privileges 
and promises which God has made thee he has never 
broken. He fulfills all that he promises, and with in- 
crease. Thy present troubles are the reward of the 
toils and perils thou hast endured in serving others." 
Amidst its reproaches the voice mingled promises of 
further protection, and assurances that his age should be 
no impediment to any great undertaking. 

Such is the vision which Columbus circumstantially 
relates in a letter to the sovereigns. The words here 
spoken by a supposed voice are truths which dwelt upon 
his mind and agitated his spirit in his waking hours. It 
is natural that they should recur vividly in his feverish 
dreams. He had a solemn belief that he was a peculiar 
instrument in the hands of Providence, which, together 
with a deep tinge of superstition, common to the age, 
made him prone to mistake every striking dream for a 
revelation. 

His error was probably confirmed by subsequent cir- 
cumstances. Immediately after the supposed vision, and 
after nine days of boisterous weather, the wind subsided, 
the sea became calm, and the adelantado and his com- 
panions were happily rescued from their perilous situ- 
ation, and embarked on board of the ships. Everything 
of value was likewise brought on board, and nothing 
remained but the hull of the caravel, which could not be 



DEPARTURE FROM VERAGUA. 305 

extricated from the river. Diego Mendcz was extremely 
efficient in bringing off the people and the property ; 
and, in reward of his zeal and services, the Admiral gave 
him the command of the caravel, vacant by the death of 
the unfortunate Diego Tristan. 



CHAPTER XL. 

VOYAGE TO JAMAICA. — TRANSACTIONS AT THAT ISl,- 

AND. [1503.] 

Towards the end of April Columbus set sail from the 
disastrous coast of Veragua. The wretched condition 
of his ships, the enfeebled state of his crews, and the 
scarcity of provisions determined him to make the best 
of his way for Hispaniola ; but it was necessary, before 
standing across for that island, to gain a considerable 
distance to the east, to avoid being swept away far be- 
low their destined port by the currents. The pilots and 
mariners, who had not studied the navigation of these 
seas with an equally experienced and observant eye, fan- 
cied, when Columbus stood along the coast to the cast, 
that he intended to proceed immediately to Spain, and 
murmured loudly at the madness of attempting so long a 
voyage, with ships destitute of stores and consumed by 
the worms. The Admiral did not impart his reasons, 
for he was disposed to make a mystery of his routes, see- 
ing the number of private adventurers daily crowding 
into his track. 

Continuing along the coast eastward, he was obliged 
to abandon one of the caravels in the harbor of Puerto 
Bcllo, being so pierced b>' the teredo that it was impos- 
(20) 



3o6 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

sible to keep her afloat. He then proceeded about ten 
leagues beyond Point Bias, near to what is at present 
called the Gulf of Darien, and which he supposed to be 
the province of Mangi, in the territories of the Grand 
Khan. Here he bade farewell to the mainland, and 
stood northward on the ist of May, in quest of Hispani- 
ola. Notwithstanding all his precautions, however, he 
was carried so far west by the currents as to arrive, on 
the 30th of May, among the cluster of islands called the 
Queen's Gardens, on the south side of Cuba. During 
this time his crews had suffered excessively from hunger 
and fatigue. They were crowded into two caravels, little 
better than mere wrecks, and which were scarcely kept 
afloat by incessant labor at the pump. They were en- 
feebled by scanty diet, and dejected by a variety of 
hardships. A violent storm on the coast of Cuba drove 
the vessels upon each other, and shattered them to such 
a degree that the Admiral, after struggling as far as Cape 
Cruz, gave up all further attempt to navigate them to 
Hispaniola, and stood over in search of a secure port on 
the island of Jamaica. Here, on the 24th of June, they 
anchored in a harbor, to which the Admiral gave the 
name of Port San Gloria. 

Seeing that his ships were no longer capable of stand- 
ing the sea, and were in danger of foundering even in 
port, Columbus ran them aground, within bowshot of 
the shore, where they were fastened together side by 
side. They soon filled with water. Thatched cabins 
were then erected at the prow and stern to shelter the 
crews, and the wreck was placed in the best possible 
state of defence ; thus castled in the sea, Columbus 
trusted to be able to repel any sudden attack of the na- 
tives, and at the same time to keep his men under proper 
restraint. No one was permitted to go on shore without 



A PERI LOUS SITUATION. 30/ 

especial license, and the utmost precaution was taken to 
prevent any offence being given to the Indians, who soon 
swarmed to the harbor with provisions, as any exaspera- 
tion of them might be fatal to the Spaniards in their 
present forlorn situation. Two persons were appointed 
to superintend all bargains, and the provisions thus ob- 
tained were divided every evening among the people. 
As the immediate neighborhood, however, might soon be 
exhausted, the zealous and intrepid Diego Mendez made 
a tour in the interior, accompanied by three men, and 
made arrangements for the caciques at a distance to 
furnish daily supplies at the harbor, in exchange for 
European trinkets. He returned in triumph, in a canoe 
which he had purchased from the Indians, and which 
he had freighted with provisions, and through his able 
arrangement the Spaniards were regularly supplied. 

The immediate wants of his people being thus pro- 
vided for, Columbus revolved, in his anxious mind, the 
means of getting from this island. His ships were be- 
yond the possibility of repair ; there was no hope of a 
chance sail arriving to his relief, on the shores of a sav- 
age island, in an unfrequented sea. At length a mode 
of relief occurred to him, through the means of this 
same Diego Mendez, whose courage and loyalty he had 
so often proved. He took him aside to sound him on 
the subject, and Mendez himself has written an account 
of this interesting conversation, which is full of char- 
acter. 

"Diego Mendez, my son," said the venerable Admiral, 
" of all those who are here, you and I alone know the 
great peril in which we are placed. We are few in num- 
ber, and these savage Indians are many, and of fickle 
and irritable natures. On the least provocation they 
may throw firebrands from the shore antl consume us in 



308 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

our straw-thatched cabins. The arrangement which you 
have made for provisions, and which at present they ful- 
fill so cheerfully, they may capriciously break to-morrow, 
and may refuse to bring us anything ; nor have we the 
means of compelling them. I have thought of a rem- 
edy, if it. meets your views. In this canoe which you 
have purchased, some one may pass over to Hispani- 
ola, and procure a ship, by which we shall all be deliv- 
ered from this great peril. Tell me your opinion on the 
matter." 

" Senor," replied Diego Mendez, " I well know our 
danger to be far greater than is easily conceived ; but as 
to passing to Hispaniola in so small a vessel as a canoe, 
I hold it not merely difficult, but impossible, since it 
is necessary to traverse a gulf of forty leagues, and be- 
tween islands where the sea is impetuous and seldom in 
repose. I know not who there is would venture upon so 
extreme a peril." 

Columbus made no reply ; but from his looks, and the 
nature of his silence, Mendez plainly perceived him-self 
to be the person whom the Admiral had in view. Re- 
suming, therefore, the conversation : " Senor," said he, 
" I have many times put my life in peril to save you and 
my comrades, and God has hitherto preserved me in a 
miraculous manner. There are, nevertheless, murmurers 
who say that your excellency intrusts to me every affair 
wherein honor is to be gained, while there are others in 
company who would execute them as well as I. I beg, 
therefore, that you would assemble the people, and pro- 
pose this enterprise, to see if any one will undertake it, 
which I doubt. If all decline, I will then come forward 
and risk my life in your service, as I have many times 
done already. " 

The Admiral willingly humored the wishes of the 



LOYALTY OF MENDEZ. 309 

worthy Mciidcv. ; for never was simple vanity accom- 
panied by more generous and devoted zeal. 

On the following morning the crew was accordingly 
assembled, and the proposition made. Every one drew 
back, pronouncing it the height of rashness. Upon this, 
Diego Mendez stepped forward. " Sefior," said he, " I 
have but one life to lose, yet I am willing to venture it 
for your service, and for the good of all here present ; 
and I trust in the protection of God, which I have ex- 
perienced on so many other occasions." 

Columbus embraced this zealous follower, who imme- 
diately set about preparing for the expedition. Draw- 
ing his canoe on shore, he put on a false keel, and nailed 
weatherboards along the bow and stern, to prevent the 
sea from breaking over it. He then payed it with a 
coat of tar, furnished it with a mast and sail, and put 
in provisions for himself, a Spanish comrade, and six 
Indians. 

In the meanwhile, Columbus wrote a letter to Ovando, 
Governor of Hispaniola, begging that a ship might imme- 
diately be sent to bring him and his men to Hispaniola; 
and he wrote another to the sovereigns, entreating 
for a ship to convey them from Hispaniola to Spain. 
In this letter he gave a comprehensive account of his 
voyage, and expressed his opinion that Veragua was 
the Aurea Chersonesus of the ancients. He supposed 
himself to have reached the confines of the dominions 
of the Grand Khan, and offered, if he lived to return 
to Spain, to conduct a mission thither to instruct that 
potentate in the Christian faith. What an instance of 
soaring enthusiasm and irrepressible enterprise is here 
exhibited ! At the time he was indulging these visions, 
and proposing new and romantic enterprises, he was 
broken down by age and infirmities, racked by pain, 



3IO THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

confined to his bed, and shut up in a wreck on the coast 
of a remote and savage island. 

The dispatches being ready, Diego Mendez embarked 
with his Spanish comrade and his six Indians, and coasted 
the island eastward. Their voyage was toilsome and 
perilous. When arrived at the end of the island, they 
were suddenly surrounded and taken prisoners by the 
Indians, who carried them three leagues into the interior, 
where they determined to kill them. A dispute arising 
about the division of the spoils, they agreed to settle it 
after the Indian fashion, by a game of ball. While thus 
engaged, Diego Mendez escaped, regained his canoe, 
and made his way back to the harbor in it. alone, after 
fifteen days' absence. Nothing daunted by the perils and 
hardships he had undergone, he offered to depart imme- 
diately, on a second attempt, provided he could be es- 
corted to the end of the island by an armed force. His 
offer was accepted, and Bartholomew Fiesco, a Genoese, 
who had commanded one of the caravels, and was strongly 
attached to the Admiral, was associated with him in this 
second expedition. Each had a canoe, with six Span- 
iards and ten Indians under his command. On reaching 
Hispaniola, Fiesco was to return immediately to Ja- 
maica; to bring tidings to the Admiral of the safe arrival 
of his messenger ; while Diego Mendez was to proceed 
to San Domingo, and, after purchasing and dispatching 
a ship, was to depart for Spain with the letter to the 
sovereigns. 

All arrangements being made, the Indians placed in 
the canoes a supply of cassava bread, and each his cala- 
bash of water. The Spaniards, besides their provisions, 
had each his sword and target. The adelantado, with 
an armed band, kept pace with them along the coast 
until they reached the end of the island, where, waiting 



I 



MUTINY OF FOR R AS. l^ 

for three days until the weather was perfectly serene, 
they launched forth on the broad bosom of the sea. The 
adelantado remained watching them until they became 
mere specks on the ocean, and tlic eveninLj hid them from 
his view, and lluii returned to the harbor. 



CHAPTER XLI. 

MUTINY OF PORRAS. — ECLIPSE OF THE MOON. — STRAT- 
AGEM OF COLUM13US TO PROCURE SUPPLIES FROM 
THE INDIANS. [1503.] 

Months elapsed, and nothing was heard of Mendez 
and Fiesco. The Spaniards, enfeebled by past sufferings, 
crowded in close quarters, in a moist and sultry climate, 
and reduced to a vegetable diet, to which they were 
unaccustomed, became extremely sickly, and their mala- 
dies were heightened by anxiety and suspense. Day after 
day and week after week they kept a wistful lookout 
upon the sea for the expected return of Fiesco, flattering 
themselves that every Indian canoe, gliding at a distance, 
might be the harbinger of deliverance. It was all in 
vain ; and at length they began to fear that their messen- 
gers had perished. Some gradually sank into despond- 
ency ; others became peevish and impatient, and, in their 
unreasonable heat, railed at their venerable and infirm 
commander as the cause of all their misfortunes. 

Among the officers of Columbus were two brothers, 
Francisco and Diego Porras, relations of the royal treas- 
urer Morales. To gratify the latter, the Admiral had 
appointed one of them captain of a caravel, and the other 
notary and accountant-general of the expedition. The)- 



312 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

were vain and insolent men, and, like many others whom 
Columbus had benefited, requited his kindness with the 
blackest ingratitude. Mingling with the people, they 
assured them that Columbus had no intention of return- 
ing to Spain, having in reality been banished thence by 
the sovereigns. Hispaniola, they said, was equally closed 
against him, and it was his design to remain in Jamaica 
until his friends could make interest at court to procure 
his recall. As to Mendez and Fiesco, they had been sent 
to Spain by Columbus on his own private concerns ; if 
this were not the case, why did not the promised ship 
arrive? or why did not Fiesco return ? Or, if the canoes 
had really been sent for succor, the long time that had 
elapsed without tidings gave reason to believe that they 
had perished by the way. In such case their only alter- 
native would be to take Indian canoes, and endeavor to 
reach Hispaniola ; but there was no hope of persuading 
the Admiral to do this; he was too old and too infirm 
to undertake such a voyage. 

By these insidious suggestions they gradually prepared 
the people for revolt, assuring them of the protection of 
their own relatives in Spain, and of the countenance of 
Ovando and Fonseca, if not of the favor of the sover- 
eigns themselves, who had shown their ill-will towards 
Columbus by stripping him of part of his dignities and' 
privileges. 

On the 2d of January, 1504, the mutiny broke out. 
Francisco Porras suddenly entered the cabin, where Co- 
lumbus was confined to his bed by the gout, reproached 
him vehemently with keeping them in that desolate place 
to perish, and accused him of having no intention to 
return to Spain. The Admiral raised himself in bed, 
and, maintaining his calmness, endeavored to reason with 
the traitor ; but Porras was deaf to all argument. " Em- 



MUTINY OF THE CREW. 31 3 

bark immediately, or remain, in God's name!" cried he, 
with a voice that resounded all over the wreck. " For 
my part, I am for Castile ! those who choose may follow 
me ! 

This was the signal. " For Castile ! for Castile ! " was 
heard on every side. The mutineers sprang upon the 
most conspicuous parts of the vessel, brandishing their 
weapons, and, amidst the uproar, the voices of some des- 
peradoes were heard menacing the life of the Admiral. 

Columbus, ill and infirm as he was, leaped out of bed, 
and tottered forth to pacify the mutineers, but was forced 
back into his cabin by some of his faithful adherents. 
The adelantado sallied forth, lance in hand, and planted 
himself in a situation to take the whole brunt of the 
assault. It was with the greatest difficulty that several 
of the loyal part of the crew could restrain his fur\', and 
prevail upon him to relinquish his weapon, and retire to 
the cabin of his brother. 

The mutineers, being entirely unopposed, took ten 
canoes, which the Admiral had purchased from the In- 
dians ; others, who had not been concei'ned in the mu- 
tiny, joined them, through fear of remaining behind, 
when so reduced in number; in this way, forty-eight 
abandoned the Admiral. Many of the sick crawled forth 
from their cabins, and beheld their departure with tears 
and lamentations, and would gladly have accompanied 
them had their strength permitted. 

Porras coasted with his squadron of canoes to the east- 
ward, landing occasionally and robbing the natives, pre- 
tending to act under the authority of Columbus, that 
he might draw on him their hostility. Arrived at the 
east end of the island, he procured several Indians to 
manage the canoes, and then set out on his voyage across 
the gulf. The Spaniards had scarcely proceeded four 



314 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

leagues when the wind came ahead, with a swell of 
the sea that threatened to overwhelm the deeply laden 
canoes. They immediately turned for land, and, in their 
alarm, threw overboard the greater part of their effects. 
The danger still continuing, they drew their swords, and 
compelled most of the Indians to leap into the sea. The 
latter w^ere skilful swimmers, but the distance to land was 
too great for their strength ; if, however, they at any 
time took hold of the canoes to rest themselves and 
recover breath, the Spaniards, fearful of their overturn- 
ing the slight barks, would stab them, or cut off their 
hands. Some were thus slain by the sword ; others sunk 
exhausted beneath the waves ; eighteen perished miser- 
ably; and none survived but a few who had been retained 
to manage the canoes. 

Having reached the shore in safety, Porras and his 
men waited until the weather became favorable, and then 
made another effort to cross to Hispaniola, but with no 
better success. They then abandoned the attempt in 
despair, and returned westward, towards the harbor, rov- 
ing from village to village, living upon the provisions of 
the Indians, which they took by force, if not readily 
given, and conducting themselves in the most licentious 
manner. If the natives remonstrated they told them to 
seek redress at the hands of the Admiral, whom, at the 
same time, they represented as the implacable foe of the 
Indian race, and bent upon gaining a tyrannical sway 
over their island. 

In the meantime Columbus, when abandoned by the 
mutineers, and left in the wreck with a mere handful of 
sick and desponding men, exerted himself to the utmost 
to restore this remnant to an efficient state of health and 
spirits. He ordered that the small stock of biscuit which 
remained, and the most nourishing articles of the provis- 



THREATENED WITH FAMINE. 3' 5 

ions furnished by the Indians, should be appropriated to 
the invalids; he visited them, individually, cheered them 
with hopes of speedy deliverance, and promised that 
on his return to Spain he would intercede with the 
sovereigns, that their loyalty might be munificently re- 
warded. In this way, by kind and careful treatment and 
encouraging words, he succeeded in restoring them from 
a state of sickness and despondency, and rendering them 
once more fit for service. 

Scarcely, however, had the little garrison of the wreck 
recovered from the shock of the mutiny, when it was 
menaced by a new and appalling evil. The scanty 
number of the Spaniards prevented them from foraging 
abroad for provisions, and rendered them dependent on 
the voluntary supplies of the natives. The latter began 
to grow negligent. The European trinkets, once so 
inestimable in their eyes, by becoming common, had 
sunk in value, and were almost treated with indifference. 
The arrangements made by Diego Mendez were irregu- 
larly attended to, and at length entirely disregarded. 
Many of the caciques had been incensed by the conduct 
of Porras and his followers, which they supposed justified 
by the Admiral ; others had been secretly instigated by 
the rebels to withhold provisions, in hopes of starving 
Columbus and his people, or of driving them from the 
island. 

The horrors of famine began to threaten the terrified 
crew, when a fortunate idea presented itself to Colum- 
bus. From his knowledge of astronomy, he ascertained 
that within three days there would be a total eclipse of 
the moon, in the early part of the night. He summoned, 
therefore, the principal caciques to a grand conference, 
appointing for it the day of the eclipse. When all were 
assembled, he told them, by his interpreter, that he and 



3l6 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

his followers were worshipers of a Deity, who lived in 
the skies, and held them under his protection. That 
this great Deity was incensed against the Indians, who 
had refused or neglected to furnish his faithful worship- 
ers with provisions, and intended to chastise them with 
famine and pestilence. Lest they should disbelieve this 
warning, a signal would be given that very night in the 
heavens. They would behold the moon change its color, 
and gradually lose its light ; a token of the fearful pun- 
ishment which awaited them. 

Many of the Indians were alarmed at the solemnity of 
this prediction, others treated it with derision ; all, how- 
ever, awaited with solicitude the coming of the night. 
When they beheld a black shadow stealing over the 
moon, and a mysterious gloom gradually covering the 
whole face of nature, they were seized with the utmost 
consternation. Hurrying with provisions to the ships, 
and throwing themselves at the feet of Columbus, they 
implored him to intercede with his God to withhold the 
threatened calamities, assuring him that thenceforth they 
would bring him whatever he required. Columbus re- 
tired to his cabin, under pretence of communing with 
the Deity, the forests and shores all the while resounding 
with the howling of the savages. He returned shortly, 
and informed the natives that the Deity had deigned to 
pardon them, on condition of their fulfilling their prom- 
ises ; in sign of which he would withdraw the darkness 
from the moon. When the Indians saw that planet re- 
stored presently to its brightness, and rolling in all its 
beauty through the firmament, they overwhelmed the 
Admiral with thanks for his intercession. They now re- 
garded him with awe and reverence, as one in peculiar 
favor and confidence of the Deity, since he knew upon 
earth what was passing in the heavens. They hastened 




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3l8 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

to propitiate him with gifts; suppHes again arrived daily 
at the harbor, and from that time forward there was no 
want of provisions. 



CHAPTER XLII. 

ARRIVAL OF DIEGO DE ESCOBAR AT THE HARBOR. — 
BATTLE WITH THE REBELS. [1504.] 

Eight months had now elapsed since the departure of 
Mendez and Fiesco, yet no tidings had been received of 
their fate. The hopes of the most sanguine were nearly 
extinct, and many, considering themselves abandoned 
and forgotten by the world, grew wild and desperate 
in their plans. Another conspiracy, similar to that of 
Porras, was on the point of breaking out, when one 
evening, towards dusk, a sail was seen standing towards 
the harbor. It was a small caravel, which kept out at 
sea, and sent its boat on shore. In this came Diego de 
Escobar, one of the late confederates of Roldan, who 
had been condemned to death under the administration 
of Columbus, and pardoned by his successor, Bobadilla. 
There was bad omen in such a messenger. 

Escobar was the bearer of a mere letter of compliment 
and condolence from Ovando, accompanied by a barrel 
of wine and a side of bacon. The governor expressed 
great concern at his misfortunes, and regret at not having 
in port a vessel of sufificient size to bring off himself and 
people, but promised to send one as soon as possible. 
Escobar drew off with the boat and kept at a distance 
from the wreck, awaiting any letters the Admiral might 
have to send in reply, and holding no conversation with 
any of the Spaniards. Columbus hastened to write to 



M^^^k 



DESERTED BY O VAN DO. 319 

Ovando, depicting the horrors of his situation, and urg- 
ing the promised reHcf. As soon as Escobar received 
this letter he returned on board of his caravel, which 
made all sail, and disappeared in the gathering gloom of 
the night. 

The mysterious conduct of Escobar caused great won- 
der and consternation among the people. Columbus 
sought to dispel their uneasiness, assuring them tliat ves- 
sels Would soon arrive to take them away. In confidence 
of this, he said, he had declined to depart with Escobar, 
because his vessel w^as too small to take the whole, and 
had dispatched him in such haste that no time might be 
lost in sending the requisite ships. These assurances, 
and the certainty that their situation was known in San 
Domingo, cheered the hearts of the people, and put an 
end to the conspiracy. 

Columbus, however, was secretly indignant at the con- 
duct of Ovando, believing that he had purposely delayed 
sending relief, in the hopes that he would perish on the 
island, being apprehensive that, should he return in safe- 
ty, he would be reinstated in the government of Hispa- 
niola. He considered Escobar merely as a spy, sent by 
the governor to ascertain whether he and his crew were 
yet in existence. Still, he endeavored to turn tiie event 
to some advantage with the rebels. He sent two of his 
people to inform them of the promise of Ovando to send 
ships for his relief, and he offered them a free pardon 
and a passage to Hispaniola, on condition of their im- 
mediate return to obedience. 

On the approach of the ambassadors, Porras came 
forth to meet them, accompanied solely by a few of the 
ringleaders of his party, and prevented their holding any 
communication with the mass of his [jcoplc. In reply to 
the generous offer of the /\dmiral, they refused to return 



320 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

to the wreck, but agreed to conduct themselves peaceably 
and amicably, on receiving a solemn promise that, should 
two vessels arrive, they should have one to depart in ; 
should but one arrive, the half of it should be granted 
to them ; and that, in the meantime, the Admiral should 
share with them the sea stores and articles of Indian 
trafific which remained in his possession. When it was 
observed that these demands were extravagant and in- 
admissible, they replied, that if they were not peaceably 
conceded they would take them by force ; and with this 
menace they dismissed the ambassadors. 

The conference was not conducted so privately but 
that the rest of the rebels learnt the whole purport of 
the mission. Porras, seeing them moved by the offer of 
pardon and deliverance, resorted to the most desperate 
falsehoods to delude them. He told them that these 
offers of the Admiral were all deceitful ; and that he only 
sought to get them into his power, that he might wreak 
on them his vengeance. As to the pretended caravel 
which had visited the harbor, he assured them that it was 
a mere phantasm, conjured up by the Admiral, who was 
deeply versed in magic. In proof of this he adverted 
to its arriving in the dusk of the evening; its holding 
communication with no one but the Admiral, and its 
sudden disappearance in the night. Had it been a real 
caravel, the crew would have sought to converse with 
their countrymen; the Admiral, his son, and brother 
would have eagerly embarked on board ; at any rate, it 
would have remained a little while in port, and not have 
vanished so suddenly and mysteriously. 

By these and similar delusions, Porras succeeded in 
working upon the feelings and credulity of his followers, 
and persuaded them that, if they persisted in their rebel- 
lion, they would ultimately triumph, and perhaps send 



A 7 TACK ON THE ADELANTADO. 



321 



home the Admiral in irons, as had once before been done 
from Hispaniola. To involve them beyond hope of 
pardon he marched them one day towards the harbor, 
with an intention of seizing upon the stores remaining 
in the wreck, and getting the Admiral in his power. 

Columbus heard of their approach, but, being confined 
by his infirmities, sent Don Bartholomew to reason with 
them and endeavor to win them to obedience. The ade- 
lantado, who was generally a man rather of deeds than 
words, took with him fifty men, well armed. Arriving 
near the rebels, he sent messengers to treat with them, 
but Porras forbade them to approach. The latter cheered 
his followers by pointing with derision to the pale coun- 
tenances of their opponents, who were emaciated by recent 
sickness and long confinement in the 
wreck, whereas his men, for the most 
part, were hardy sailors, rendered ro- 
bust by living in the open air. He 
assured them the followers of the ade- 
lantado were mere household men, fair- 
weather troops, who could never stand 
before them. He did not reflect that, 
with such men, pride and spirit often 
more than supply the place of bodily 
force ; and that his adversaries had the 
incalculable advantage of justice and 
law upon their side. 

Deluded by his words into a transient 
glow of courage, the rebels did not 
wait to be attacked, but rushed with 
shouts upon the enemy. Six of them 
had matle a league to assault the ade- 
lantado, but were so well received that 
he laid several of them dead at his feet. 

(21) 




SPANISH SOLDIER. 
Kcdraivn from /V Pi y 



322 



THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 




among whom was Juan Sanchez, the 
same powerful mariner who had car- 
ried off the cacique Ouibian. In the 
midst of the affray the adelantado 
was assailed by Francisco Porras, who, 
with a blow of his sword, cleft his 
buckler and wounded the hand which 
grasped it. The sword remained 
wedged in the shield; and before it 
could be withdrawn the adelantado 
closed upon Porras, grappled him, and 
being assisted by others, succeeded 
in taking him prisoner. 

The rebels, seeing their leader a 
captive, fled in confusion, but were 
not pursued, through fear of an at- 
tack from the Indians, who had re- 
mained drawn up in battle array, gaz- 
ing with astonishment at this fight between white men, 
but without offering to aid either party. The adelan- 
tado returned in triumph to the wreck, with Porras and 
several other prisoners. Only two of his own men had 
been wounded, one of whom died. On the following 
day the rebels sent in a letter to the Admiral, signed 
by all their names, confessing all their misdeeds, implor- 
ing pardon, and making a solemn oath of obedience, and 
imprecating the most awful curses on their heads should 
they break it. The Admiral saw, by the abject nature 
of the letter, how completely the spirit of these mis- 
guided men was broken ; with his wonted magnanimity 
he pardoned their offences, merely retaining their ring- 
leader, Francisco Porras, a prisoner, to be tried in Spain 
for his misdeeds. 



SPANISH SOLDIER. 
Redrawn /rom De Bry. 



MISSIOJV OF DIEGO MENDEZ. 323 



CHAPTER XLIII. 

VOYAGE OF DIEGO MENUEZ TO HISPANIOLA.— DELI V- 
EKANCE OF COLUMBUS FROM THE ISLAND OF JA- 
MAICA. [1504.] 

It is proper here to give some account of the mission 
of Diego Mendcz and Bartholomew Fiesco. When they 
had taken leave of the adelantado, at the east end of the 
island of Jamaica, they continued all day in a direct 
course ; there was no wind, the sky was without a cloud, 
and the sea, like a mirror, reflected the burning rays of 
the sun. The Indians who paddled the canoes would 
often leap into the water, to cool their glowing bodies 
and refresh themselves from their toil. At the going 
down of the sun they lost sight of land. During the 
night the Indians took turns, one half to row while the 
others slept. The Spaniards, in like manner, divided 
their forces; while some took repose, the others sat with 
their weapons in their hands, ready to defend themselves 
in case of any perfidy on the part of their savage com- 
panions. 

Watching and toiling in this way through the night, 
they were excessively fatigued on the following day ; and, 
to add to their distress, they began to experience the 
torments of thirst ; for the Indians, parched with heat, 
had already drained the contents of their calabashes. In 
proportion as the sun rose their misery increased, and 
was irritated by the prospect around them — nothing but 
water, while they were perishing with thirst. About 
mid-day, when their strength was failing them, the com- 
manders producctl two small kegs of water, which they 



324 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

had probably reserved in secret for such an extremity. 
Administering a cooHng mouthful occasionally, they en- 
abled the Indians to resume their toils. They held out 
the hopes of soon arriving at a small island, called Na- 
vasa, which lay directly in their way, about eight leagues 
distant from Hispaniola. Here they would find water to 
assuage their thirst, and would be able to take repose. 

The night closed upon them without any sight of the 
island ; they feared that they had deviated from their 
course ; if so, they should miss the island entirely, and 
perish with thirst before they could reach Hispaniola. 
One of the Indians died of the accumulated sufferings 
of labor, heat, and raging thirst ; others lay panting and 
gasping at the bottom of the canoes. Their companions 
were scarcely able to continue their toils. Sometimes 
they endeavored to cool their parched palates by taking 
sea water in their mouths ; but its briny bitterness only 
increased their thirst. One after another gave up, and it 
seemed impossible that they should live to reach His- 
paniola. 

The commanders, by admirable management, had 
hitherto kept up this weary struggle with suffering and 
despair; but they, too, began to despond. Diego Men- 
dez sat watching the horizon, which was gradually light- 
ing up with those faint rays which precede the rising of 
the moon. As that planet arose, he perceived it to 
emerge from behind a dark mass elevated above the level 
of the ocean. It proved to be the island of Navasa, but 
so low and small and distant that, had it not been thus 
revealed by the rising moon, he would never have dis- 
covered it. He immediately gave the animating cry of 
"Land!" His almost expiring companions were roused 
to new life, and exerted themselves with feverish impa- 
tience. By the dawn of day they sprang on shore, and 



MENDEZ ARRIVES AT SAN DOMINGO. 3-5 

returned thanks to God for their deliverance. The island 
was a mere barren mass of rocks, but they found abun- 
dance of rain-water in hollow places. The Spaniards ex- 
ercised some degree of caution in their draughts, but the 
poor Indians, whose toils had increased the fever of 
their thirst, gave way to a kind of frantic indulgence, 
of which several died upon the spot, and others fell 
dangerously ill. 

After reposing all day on the island, where they made 
a grateful repast upon shellfish gathered along the shore, 
they set off in the evening for Hispaniola, the moun- 
tains of which were distinctly visible, and arrived at Cape 
Tiburon on the following day, the fourth since their de- 
parture from Jamaica. Fiesco would now have returned 
to give the Admiral assurance of the safe arrival of his 
messenger, but both Spaniards and Indians refused to 
encounter the perils of another voyage in the canoes. 

Parting with his companions, Diego Mendez took six 
Indians of the island, and set off for San Domingo. 
►After proceeding for eighty leagues against the currents, 
he was informed that the governor had departed for Xa- 
ragua, fifty leagues distant. Still undaunted by fatigues 
and difficulties, he abandoned the canoe, and proceeded 
alone, on foot, through forests and over mountains, until 
he arrived at Xaragua, achieving one of the most perilous 
expeditions ever undertaken by a devoted follower for 
the safety of his commander. 

He found Ovando completely engrossed by wars with 
the natives. The governor expressed great concern at 
the unfortunate situation of Columbus, and promised to 
send him immediate relief ; but Mendez remained for 
seven months at Xaragua, vainly urging for that relief, ■ 
or for permission to go to San Domingo in quest of it. 
The constant excuse of Ovando was that there were not 



326 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

ships of sufficient burden in the island to bring off Co- 
lumbus and his men. At length, by daily importunity, 
Mendez obtained permission to go to San Domingo, and 
await the arrival of certain ships which were expected. 
He immediately set out on foot ; the distance was sev- 
enty leagues, and part of his toilsome journey lay 
through forests and mountains, infested by hostile and 
exasperated Indians. Immediately after his departure, 
Ovando dispatched from Xaragua the pardoned rebel, 
Escobar, on that reconnoitring visit which caused so 
much wonder and suspicion among the companions of 
Columbus. 

If the governor had really entertained hopes that, dur- 
ing the delay of relief, Columbus might perish in the 
island, the report brought back by Escobar must have 
completely disappointed him. No time was now to be 
lost, if he wished to claim any merit in his deliverance, 
or to avoid the disgrace of having totally neglected him. 
His long delay had already roused the public indigna- 
tion, insomuch that animadversions had been made upon 
his conduct, even in the pulpits. Diego Mendez, also, 
had hired and victualled a vessel at the expense of Co- 
lumbus, and was on the point of dispatching it. The 
governor, therefore, exerted himself, at the eleventh 
hour, and fitted out a caravel, which he put under the 
command of Diego de Salcedo, the agent employed by 
Columbus to collect his rents in San Domingo. It was 
these two vessels which arrived at Jamaica shortly after 
the battle with Porras, and brought relief to the Admiral 
and his faithful adherents, after a long year of dismal 
confinement to the wreck.* 

* Some brief notice of the further fortunes of Diego Mendez may be in- 
teresting to the reader. 

When King Ferdinand heard of his faithful services, he bestowed re- 



COLUMBUS AT SAN DOMINGO. 327 

On tlic 28th of June all the Spaniards embarked, 
friend and foe, on board of the vessels, and made sail 
joyfully for San Domingo ; but, from adverse winds and 
currents, they did not arrive there until the 13th of Aug- 
ust. Whatever lurking enmity there might be to Co- 
lumbus in the place, it was overpowered by popular sym- 
pathy for his late disasters. Whatever had been denied 
to his merits was granted to his misfortunes; and even 
the envious, appeased by his present reverses, seemed to 
forgive him for having once been so triumphant. 

The governor and the principal inhabitants came forth 
to meet him, and received him with signal distinction. 
He was lodged in the house of Ovando, who treated him 
with the utmost courtesy and attention ; but there were 
too deep causes of jealousy and distrust between them 
for their intercourse to be cordial. Their powers, too, 
were so defined in their several patents as to clash with 
each other, and to cause questions of jurisdiction. Ovan- 
do assumed a right to take cognizance of all transactions 
at Jamaica, as happening within the limits of his govern- 
ment. He set at liberty the traitor Porras, and talked 

wards upon him, and permitted him to bear a canoe in liis coat of arms, as 
a memento of his hardy enterprise. He continued devotedly attached (o 
the Admiral, serving him zealously after his return to Spain, and during his 
last illness. Columbus retained a grateful and affectionate sense of his 
fidelity. On his death-bed he promised Mendez that he should be ap- 
jiointed principal alguazil of the island of Hispaniola. The promise, how- 
ever, was not performed by the heirs of Columbus. Mendez was afterwards 
engaged in various voyages of discovery, met with many vicissitudes, and 
dietl poor. In his last will he reciuested that his armorial bearing of an In- 
dian canoe should be engraved on his tombstone, and under it the follow- 
ing words : " Here lies the honorable Cavalier, Diego Mendez ; who served 
greatly the royal crown of Spain, in tlie conquest of the Inilies, with Admi- 
ral Christopher Columbus, of glorious memory, who made the discovery ; 
and afterwards by himself, in ships at his own cost. Uestow, in charity, a 
Paternoster and au .\vc Maria."' 



328 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

of punishing the followers of Columbus for the deaths of 
the mutineers whom they had slain in battle. Colum- 
bus, on the other hand, asserted the absolute jurisdiction 
given him by the sovereigns in his letter of instructions, 
over all persons who had sailed in his expedition, from 
the time of their departure from Spain until their return. 
The governor heard him with great courtesy and a smil- 
ing countenance, but observed, that the letter gave him 
no authority within the bounds of his government. He 
relinquished the idea, however, of trying the faithful ad- 
herents of Columbus, and sent Porras to Spain, to be 
examined by the board which had charge of the affairs 
of the Indies. 



CHAPTER XLIV. 

AFFAIRS AT HISPANIOLA DURING THE ADMINISTRATION 
OF OVANDO. — RETURN OF COLUMBUS TO SPAIN. 

[1504.] 

The sojourn of Columbus at San Domingo was but 
little calculated to yield him satisfaction. He was grieved 
at the desolation of the island, through the oppressive 
treatment of the natives, and the horrible massacres 
which had taken place under the administration of Ovan- 
do. And here let us turn for a moment from pursuing 
the story of the Admiral, tcJ notice some of the principal 
occurrences which had taken place in Hispaniola during 
his absence. 

A great crowd of adventurers, of various ranks, had 
thronged the fleet of Ovando, all confidently expecting 
to make sudden fortunes. They had scarcely landed 
when they all hurried off to the mines, which were about 



SEARCHING lOK GOLD. 329 

eight leagues distant. The road swarmed like an ant- 
hill. Every one had his knapsack of biscuit and flour, 
and his mining implements on his shoulder. Those 
hidaigoes, or gentlemen, who had no servants to carry 
their burdens, were fain to bear them on their own 
backs, and lucky was he \vho had a horse for the ex- 
pedition, for he would be able to bring back the greater 
load of treasure. They all set ofT in high spirits, eager 
who should first reach the golden land ; thinking they 
had but to arrive at the mines, and gather gold as easily 
and readily as fruit from the trees. When they arrived, 
however, they found, to their dismay, that it requiretl 
experience to discover the veins of ore ; that the whole 
process of mining was exceedingly slow and toilsome, 
and its results precarious. 

They digged eagerly for a time, but found no ore ; 
growing hungry, they threw by their implements, sat 
down to eat, and tlien returned to work. It was all in 
vain. " Their labor," says Las Casas, " gave them a 
keen appetite and quick digestion, but no gold." They 
soon exhausted their provisions and their patience, and 
returned murmuring along the road they had lately trod 
so exultingly. They arrived at San Domingo half fam- 
ished, downcast, and despairing. Such is too often the 
case of those who ignorantly engage in mining; which, 
of all objects of speculation, is the most brilliant, promis- 
ing, and fallacious. Poverty soon fell upon these mis- 
guided men. Some wasted away, and died broken- 
hearted ; others were hurried ofT by raging fevers ; so 
that there soon perished upwards of a thousand men. 

Ovando was reputed a man of great i:)rudence and 
sagacity, and he certainly took several judicious meas- 
ures for the regulation of the island antl the relief of the 
colonists; but his policy was fatal Id the natives. When 



330 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

he had been sent out to supersede Bobadilla, the queen, 
shocked at the cruel bondage which had been inflicted 
on the Indians, had pronounced them all free. The con- 
sequence was, they immediately refused to labor in the 
mines. 

Ovando, in 1503, represented that this entire liberty 
granted to the natives was not merely ruinous to the 
colony but detrimental to themselves, as it produced 
habits of idleness, profligacy, and neglect of all religion. 
The sovereigns permitted, therefore, that they should be 
obliged to labor moderately, if essential to their well- 
being, but that they should be paid regularly and fairly, 
and instructed in religion on certain days, and that all 
compulsory measures should be tempered with persua- 
sion and kindness. Under cover of this hired labor, thus 
intended for the health of soul and body, more intoler- 
able toil was exacted from them and more horrible cruel- 
ties inflicted than in the worst days of Bobadilla. Many 
perished from hunger, or sank under the lash ; many 
killed themselves in despair; and even mothers over- 
came the powerful instinct of nature, and destroyed the 
infants at their breasts, to spare them a life of wretched- 
ness. Even those who survived the exacted terms of 
labor and were permitted to return to their homes, which 
were often sixty and eighty leagues distant, were dis- 
missed so worn down by toil and hardship, and so 
scantily furnished with provisions, that they perished by 
the way. Some sank down and died by the side of a 
brook, others under the shade of a tree, where they had 
crawled for shelter from the sun. " I have found many 
dead on the road," says the venerable Bishop Las Casas- 
" others gasping under the trees, and others in the pangs 
of death, faintly crying, ' Hunger! hunger! 

The wars of Ovando were equally desolating. To pun- 



CRUELTY OF VAN DO. 33 I 

isli a slight insurrccticMi in the province of Higucy, at the 
eastern end of the island, he sent his troops, who ravaged 
the country with fire and sword, showed no mercy to age 
or sex, put many to death with the most wanton, ingen- 
ious, and horrible tortures, and brought ofT the brave 
Cotabanama, one of the five sovereign caciques of the 
island, in chains to San Domingo, where he was igno- 
miniously hanged by Ovando for the crime of defending 
his territory and his native soil against usurping strangers. 

But the most atrocious act of Ovando, and one that 
must heap odium on his name wherever the woes of the 
gentle natives of Hayti create an interest, was the pun- 
ishment he inflicted on the province of Xaragua for a 
pretended conspiracy. The exactions of tribute, in this 
once happy and hospitable province, had caused occa- 
sional quarrels between the inferior caciques and the 
Spaniards; these were magnified by alarmists, and Ovan- 
do was persuaded that there was a deep-laid plot among 
the natives to rise upon their oppressors. He immedi- 
ately set out for Xaragua, at the head of nearly four 
hundred well-armed soldiers, seventy of whom were steel- 
clad horsemen. He gave out that he was going on a visit 
of friendship, to make arrangements about the payment 
of tribute. 

Behechio, the ancient cacique of the province, was 
dead, and his sister, Anacaona, had succeeded to the 
government. She came forth to meet Ovando, accord- 
ing to the custom of her nation, attended bj' her 
most distinguished subjects, and her train of damsels, 
waving palm branches, and dancing to the cadence of 
their popular arcytos. All her principal caciques had 
been assembled to do honor to her guests, who for sev- 
eral days were entertained with banquets and national 
games and dances. In return for these exhibitions, 



332 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

Ovando invited Anacaona, with her beautiful daughter 
Higuenamota, and her principal subjects, to witness a 
tilting match by the cavalry in the public square. When 
all were assembled, the square crowded with unarmed 
Indians, Ovando gave a signal, and instantly the horse- 
men rushed into the midst of the naked and defenceless 
throng, trampling them under foot, cutting them down 
with their swords, transfixing them with their lances, and 
sparing neither age nor sex. Above eighty caciques had 
been assembled in one of the principal houses. It was 
surrounded by troops, the caciques were bound to the 
posts which supported the roof, and put to cruel tortures, 
until, in the extremity of anguish, they were made to 
admit the truth of the plot with which their queen and 
themselves had been charged. When self-accusation had 
thus been tortured from them, a horrible punishment 
was immediately inflicted ; fire was set to the .house, 
and they all perished miserably in the flames. 

As to Anacaona, she was carried to San Domingo, 
where the mockery of a trial was given her, in which she 
was found guilty, on the confessions wrung by torture 
from her subjects, and on the testimony of their butchers, 
and she was barbarously hanged, by the people whom 
she had so long and so signally befriended. 

After the massacre at Xaragua the destruction of its 
inhabitants still went on ; they were hunted for six months 
amidst the fastnesses of the mountains, and their country 
ravaged by horse and foot, until, all being reduced to 
deplorable misery and abject submission, Ovando pro- 
nounced the province restored to order, and, in com- 
memoration of his triumph, founded a town near the 
lake, which he called Santa Maria de la Verdadera Paz 
(St. Mary of the True Peace). 

Such was the tragical fate of the beautiful Anacaona, 



CffARACTF.K OF OVAYPO. 333 

once extolled as the Golden Flower of Hayti ; and such 
tile story of the delightful region of Xaragua, a place 
which the Europeans, by their own account, found a 
perfect paradise, but which, by their vile passions, they 
filled with horror and tlcsolation. 

These are but brief and scanty anecdotes of the ruth- 
less system which had been pursued, during the absence 
of the Admiral, by the commander Ovando, this man of 
boasted prudence and moderation, who had been sent to 
reform the abuses of the island, and, above all, to redress 
the wrongs of the natives. The system of Columbus • 
may have borne hard upon the Indians, born and brought 
up as they were in untask-ed freedom, but it was never 
cruel or sanguinary. He had fondly hoped, at one time, 
to render them civilized, industrious, and tributary sub- 
jects to the crown, zealous converts to the faith, and to 
derive from their regular tributes a great and steady 
revenue. How different had been the event! The five 
great tribes which had peopled the mountains and the 
valleys at the time of the discovery, and had rendered, 
by their mingled villages and hamlets and tracts of cul- 
tivation, the rich levels of the vegas so many " painted 
gardens," had alinost all passed away, and the native 
princes had perished, chiefly by violent and ignominious 
deaths. " I am informed," said he, in a letter to the 
sovereigns, " that, since I left this island, six parts out of 
seven of the natives are dead, all through ill-treatment 
and inhumanity ; some by the sword, others by blows 
and cruel usage, others through hunger ; the greater part 
have perished in the mountains, whither they had fled, 
from not being able to support the labor imposed upon 
them." 

He- found his own immediate concerns in great confu- 
sion. His rents ami arrears were either uncollected, or 




o 



o 

< 

D 



.to 

I 



J 



DEPARTURE EROM SAN DOMINGO. 335 

he could not obtain a clear account and a full liquidation 
of thcni ; and he complained that Ovando had impeded 
his agents in their management of his concerns. The 
continual misunderstandings which took place between 
him and the governor, though always qualified on the 
l^art of the latter with courtly complaisance, induced 
Columbus to hasten his departure. He caused the ship 
in which he had returned from Jamaica to be repaired 
and fitted out, and another hired, in which he offered a 
passage to such of his late crew as chose to return. The 
greater part preferred to remain in San Domingo; as 
they were in great poverty, he relieved their necessities 
from his own purse, and advanced money to those who 
accompanied him, for the expenses of their voyage. All 
the funds he could collect were exhausted in these dis- 
bursements, and many of the men, thus relieved by his 
generosity, had been among the most violent of the 
rebels. 

On the 1 2th of September he set sail; but had scarce- 
ly left the harbor when the mast of his ship was carried 
away in a sudden squall. lie embarked, therefore, with 
his family in the other vessel, commanded by the ade- 
lantado, and sent back the damaged ship to port. Fort- 
une continued to persecute him to the end of this, his 
last and most disastrous expedition. Throughout the 
voyage he experienced tempestuous weather, suffering, 
at the same time, the excruciating torments of the gout, 
until, on the 7th of November, his crazy and shattered 
bark anchored in the harbor of San Lucar. From thence 
he proceeded to Seville, to enjoy a little tranquillity of 
mind and body, and to recruit his health after his long 
series of fatigues, anxieties, and hardships. 



33^ THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 



CHAPTER XLV. 

FRUITLESS APPLICATION OF COLUMBUS TO BE REIN- 
STATED IN HIS GOVERNMENT. — HIS LAST ILLNESS 
AND DEATH. [1504.] 

The residence of Columbus, during the winter, at 
Seville, has generally been represented as an interval of 
repose : never was honorable repose more merited, more 
desired, and less enjoyed. Care and sorrow were des- 
tined to follow him, by sea and land; and in varying the 
scene he but varied the nature of his afiflictions. Ever 
since his memorable arrest by Bobadilla his affairs had 
remained in confusion, and his rents and dues had been 
but partially and irregularly collected, and were detained 
in intermediate hands. The last voyage had exhausted 
his finances and involved him in embarrassments. All 
that he had been able to collect of the money due to 
him in Hispaniola had been expended in bringing home 
many of his late crew, and, for the greater part, the 
crown remained his debtor. The world thought him 
possessed of countless wealth, while in fact he was suf- 
fering a degree of penury. 

In letters written at this time to his son Diego, he 
repeatedly urges to him the necessity of practicing 
extreme economy until the arrears due to him should 
be paid. " I receive nothing of the revenue due to me," 
says he on another occasion, "but live by borrowing. 
Little have I profited by twenty years of toils and perils, 
since at present I do not own a roof in Spain. I have 
no resort but an inn ; and, for the most times, have not 
wherewithal to pay my bill." 



INDIFFERENCE OF THE COURT. 337 

Being unable, from his infirmities, to go to court, he 
had to communicate with the sovereigns by letter, or 
through the intervention of friends, and exerted himself 
strenuously, but ineffectually, to draw their attention to 
the disastrous state of Hispaniola under the administra- 
tion of Ovando, to obtain the restitution of his honors 
and the payment of his arrears, and, what seemed to lay 
equally near his heart, to obtain relief for his unfortunate 
seamen. 

His letters were unregarded, or at least unanswered ; 
his claims remained unsatisfied ; and a cold indifference 
and neglect appeared to prevail towards him. All the 
tidings from the court filled him with uneasiness. Porras, 
the ringleader of the late faction, had been sent home by 
Ovando to appear before the council of the Indies, but 
the ofificial documents in his cause had not arrived. He 
went at large, and being related to Morales, the royal 
treasurer, had access to people in place, and an oppor- 
tunity of enlisting their opinions and prejudices on his 
side. Columbus began to fear that the violent scenes 
in Jamaica might, by the perversity of his enemies and 
the effrontery of the delinquents, be wrested into mat- 
ters of accusation against him, as had been the case with 
the rebellion of Roldan. The faithful and indefatigable 
Diego Mendez was at this time at court, and he trusted 
to his honest representations to counteract the falsehoods 
of Porras. Nothing can surpass the affecting earnestness 
and simplicity with which, in one of his letters, he de- 
clares his loyalty. " I have served their majesties," says 
he, "with as much zeal and diligence as if it had been 
to gain Paradise, and if I have failed in anything, it 
has been because my knowledge and powers went no 
further." Whilst reading this touching appeal we can 
scarcely realize the fact that it should be written by 

(22) 



338 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

Columbus, the same extraordinary man who, but a few 
years before, had been idolized at this court as a bene- 
factor, and received with almost royal honors. 

His anxiety to have a personal interview with the sov- 
ereigns became every day more intense ; he felt the inefS- 
cacy of letter writing; and, indeed, even that resource 
began to fail him, for the severity of his malady for a 
great part of the time deprived him of the use of his 
hands. He made repeated attempts to set off for the 
court ; a litter was once actually at the door to convey 
him thither, but his increasing infirmities and the inclem- 
ency of the season obliged him to abandon the journey. 
In the meantime, the intrigues of his enemies appeared 
to be prevailing ; the cold-hearted Ferdinand treated all 
his applications with indifference ; on the justice and 
magnanimity of Isabella, alone, he relied for the redress 
of his grievances; but she lay dangerously ill. " May it 
please the Holy Trinity," says he, "to restore our sover- 
eign queen to health ; for by her will everything be ad- 
justed which is now in confusion." Alas! while writing 
that letter, his noble benefactress was a corpse ! 

The health of Isabella had long been undermined by 
repeated shocks of domestic calamities. The death of 
her only son, the Prince Juan ; of her beloved daughter 
and bosom friend, the Princess Isabella ; and of her 
grandson and prospective heir, the Prince Miguel, had 
been three cruel wounds to her maternal heart. To 
these were added the constant grief caused by the in- 
firmity of intellect of her daughter Juana, and the do- 
mestic unhappiness of that princess with her husband, 
the Archduke Philip. The desolation which walks 
through palaces admits not the familiar sympathies 
and sweet consolations which alleviate the sorrows of 
common life. Isabella pined in state, amidst the ob- 



DEATH OF ISABELLA. 



339 



sequious homage of a court, surrounded by the trophies 
of a glorious and successful reign, and placed at the 
summit of earthly grandeur. A deep and incurable mel- 
ancholy settled upon her, which undermined her con- 
stitution, and gave a fatal acuteness to her bodily niala- 




"^^s* 



TOMB OF FERDINAND AND ISABELLA, GRANADA. 



dies. After four months of illness, she died, on the 26th 
of November, 1504, at Medina del Campo, in the fifty- 
fourth year of her age ; but long before her eyes closed 
upon the world, her heart had closed upon all its pomps 
and vanities. " Let my body," said she, in her will, " be 



340 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

interred in the monastery of San Francisco, in the Al- 
hambra of the city of Granada, in a low sepulchre, with 
no other monument than a plain stone, and an inscrip- 
tion. But I desire and command, that if the king, my 
lord, should choose a sepulchre in any church or monas- 
tery in any other part or place of these my kingdoms, 
that my body be transported thither, and buried beside 
the body of his highness; so that the union we have en- 
joyed while living, and which, through the mercy of God, 
we hope our souls will experience in heaven, may be rep- 
resented by our bodies in the earth." * 

Such was one of several passages in the will of this 
admirable woman, which bespoke the chastened humility 
of her heart, and in which, as has been well observed, 
the affections of conjugal love were delicately entwined 
with fervent religion and the most tender melancholy. 
She was one of the purest spirits that ever ruled over 
the destinies of a nation. Had she been spared, her be- 
nignant vigilance would have prevented many a scene of 
horror in the colonization of the New World, and might 
have softened the lot of its native inhabitants. As it is, 
her fair name will ever shine with celestial radiance in 
the early dawning of its history. 

The news of the death of Isabella reached Columbus 
while he was writing a letter to his son. He notices it 
in a postscript or memorandum, written in the haste and 
brevity of the moment, but in beautifully touching and 
mournful terms. "A memorial," he writes, "for thee, 

* The dying command of Isabella has been obeyed. The author of this 
work has seen her tomb in the royal chapel of the cathedral of Granada, 
in which her remains are interred with those of Ferdinand. Their effigies, 
sculptured in white marble, lie side by side, on a magnificent sepulchre. 
The altar of the chapel is adorned with bas-reliefs representing the con- 
quest and surrender of Granada. 



REMAINS IN SEVILLE. 341 

my dear son Diego, of what is at present to be done. 
The principal thing is to commend affectionately, and 
with great devotion, the soul of the queen, our sovereign, 
to God. Her life was always catholic and pious, antl 
prompt to all things in his holy service; for this reason 
we may rest assured that she is received into his glory, 
and beyond the cares of this rough and weary world. 
The next thing is, to watch and labor in all matters for 
the service of our sovereign, the king, and to endeavor 
to alleviate his grief. His majesty is the head of Chris- 
tendom. Remember the proverb which says, when the 
head suffers, all the members suffer. Therefore all good 
Christians should pray for his health and long life; and 
we, who are in his employ, ought more than others to do 
this with all study and diligence." 

It is impossible to read this letter without being moved 
by the simply eloquent yet artless language in which 
Columbus expresses his tenderness for the memory of 
his benefactress, his weariness under the gathering cares 
and ills of life, and his persevering and enduring loyalty 
towards the sovereign who was so ungratefully neglect- 
ing him. 

The death of Isabella was a fatal blow to his fortunes. 
While she hved, he had everything to anticipate from 
her high sense of justice, her regard for her royal word, 
her gratitude for his services, and her admiration of his 
character. With her illness, however, his interests had 
languished ; and when she died, he was left to the jus- 
tice and generosity of Ferdinand ! 

During the remainder of the winter and a great part 
of the spring he remained at Seville, detained by painful 
illness. His brother, the adelantado, who supported him 
with his accustomed fondness and devotion through all 
his trials, proceeded to court to attend to his concerns. 



342 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

taking with him the Admiral's younger son, Fernando, 
then aged about seventeen. The latter the affectionate 
father repeatedly represents to his son Diego as a man 
in understanding and conduct, though but a stripling in 
years, and inculcates the strongest fraternal attachment, 
alluding to his own brethren with one of those warm and 
affecting touches which speak the kindness of his heart : 
" To thy brother conduct thyself as the elder brother 
should unto the younger. Thou hast no other, and I 
praise God that this is such a one as thou dost need. 
Ten brothers would not be too many for thee. Never 
have I found a better friend, to right or left, than my 
brothers." 

Among the persons whom Columbus employed at this 
time in his missions to the court was Amerigo Vespucci. 
He describes him as a worthy but unfortunate man, who 
had not profited as much as he deserved by his under- 
takings, and who had always been disposed to render 
him service. 

It was not until the month of May that Columbus was 
able to accomplish his journey to court, which was at 
that time at Segovia. He, who but a few years before 
had entered the city of Barcelona in triumph, attended 
by the chivalry of Spain, and hailed with rapture by the 
multitude, now arrived at the gates of Segovia, a way- 
worn, melancholy, and neglected man ; oppressed even 
more by sorrows than by his years and infirmities. 
When he presented himself at court he was made lam- 
entably sensible of the loss of his protectress, the benig- 
nant Isabella. He met with none of that distinguished 
attention, that cordial kindness, that cherishing sympa- 
thy, which his unparalleled services and his recent suf- 
ferings had merited. Ferdinand, it is true, received 
him with many professions of kindness ; but with those 




AMERIGO VESPUCCI. 
Redrawn fj om " I'itu e Lettie di Amerigo I'espucci.'^ 



344 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

cold, ineffectual smiles which pass like wintry sunshine 
over the countenance, and convey no warmth to the 
heart. 

Many months were passed by Columbus in painful and 
humiliating solicitation. His main object was to obtain 
the restitution of his high ofifices as Viceroy and Governor 
of the Indies: as to the mere pecuniary claims for reve- 
nues and arrears, he considered them of minor impor- 
tance, and nobly offered to leave them to the disposition 
of the king; but his official dignities belonged to his 
reputation ; they had been granted, also, by solemn 
treaty, and were not to be made a matter of arbitra- 
ment. As the latter, however, were precisely the claims 
which the jealous monarch was the least disposed to 
grant, they stood continually in the way of all arrange- 
ment. The whole matter was at one time referred to a 
tribunal called the "Junta de Descargos," which had 
charge of the settlement of the affairs of the late queen, 
but nothing resulted from their deliberations; the wishes 
of the king were too well known to be thwarted. 

Columbus endeavored to bear these delays with pa- 
tience ; but he had no longer the physical strength and 
the glorious anticipations which had once sustained him 
through his long application at this court. He was again 
confined to his bed by a return of the gout, aggravated 
by the irritations of his spirit. From this couch of an- 
guish he addressed one more appeal to the justice of the 
king. He no longer petitioned for himself, but for his 
son Diego. He entreated that he might be appointed 
in his place to the government of which he had been 
so wrongfully deprived. " This," said he, " is a matter 
which concerns my honor; as to all the rest, do as your 
majesty thinks proper ; give or withhold, as may be most 
for your interest, and I shall be content. I believe it is 



rnilJP AND JUAN A IN CASTILE. 345 

the anxiety caused by the delay of this affair which is the 
principal cause of my ill health." 

This petition was treated by Ferdinand u itli his usual 
evasions ; he endeavored to prevail upon Columbus and 
his son to waive their claims to paramount dignities in 
the New World, and accept, in place thereof, titles and 
estates in Castile. Columbus rejected all proposals of 
the kind with indignation, as calculated lo compromise 
those titles which were the trophies of his achievements. 
He saw, however, that all further hope of redress from 
Ferdinand was vain. From the bed to which he was 
confined he addressed a letter to his constant friend, 
Diego dc Dcza, then Archbishop of Seville, expressive 
of his despair. " It appears," said he, " that his majesty 
does not think fit to fulfill that which he, w'ith the queen 
who is now in glory, promised me by word and seal. 
For me to contend to the contrary would be to contend 
with the wind. I have done all that I could do. I leave 
the rest to God, whom I have ever found propitious to 
me in my necessities." 

In the midst of illness and dcspondenc}-, when both 
life and hope were expiring in the bosom of Columbus, 
a new gleam was awakened, and blazed up for the mo- 
ment with characteristic fervor. He heard with joy of 
the arrival from Flanders of King Philip and Queen 
Juana, to take possession of their throne of Castile. In 
tlic daughter of Isabella he trusted to find a patroness 
and a friend. King Ferdinand and all the court repaired 
to Loredo, to receive the youthful sovereigns. Colum- 
bus sent his brother, the adelantado, to represent him, 
and wrote a letter to the king and queen, lamenting his 
being prevented by illness from coming in person to man- 
ifest his devotion. He expressed a hope that he should 
receive at their hands a restitution of his honors and 



34(5 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

estates ; and assured them that, though cruelly tortured 
at present by disease, he would yet be able to render 
them services, the like of which had never been wit- 
nessed. 

Such was the last sally of his sanguine and unconquer- 
able spirit ; which, disregarding age and infirmities, and 
all past sorrows and disappointments, spoke from his 
dying bed with all the confidence of youthful hope, and 
talked of still greater enterprises, as if he had a long and 
vigorous life before him. The adelantado took an affec- 
tionate leave of his brother, whom he was never to be- 
hold again, and set out on his mission to the new sover- 
eigns. He experienced the most gracious reception, and 
flattering hopes were given him that the claims of the 
Admiral would speedily be satisfied. 

In the meantime, the cares and troubles of Columbus 
were drawing to a close. The transient fire which had 
recently reanimated him was soon quenched by accumu- 
lating infirmities. Immediately after the departure of 
the adelantado his illness increased in violence. Find- 
ing that his end was approaching, he arranged all his 
earthly affairs, for the benefit of his successors. In a 
codicil made on the eve of his decease he enforced his 
original testament, constituting his son Diego his uni- 
versal heir, entailing his honors and estates on the male 
line of his family, and providing for his brothers, Don 
Bartholomew and Don Diego, and his natural son Don 
Fernando. In his will he enjoined that a portion of his 
revenues should be annually deposited in the bank of 
St. George, at Genoa, until a sufficient sum should be 
accumulated to set on foot a crusade to the Holy Land ; 
for the rescue of the Holy Sepulchre was, to the last, the 
great object of his ambition, and he left a solemn charge 
upon his heirs to aid personally in the pious enterprise. 




MONUMENT TO COLUMBUS IN GENOA. 



348 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

Other provisions were made for the foundation of 
churches, the support of Beatrix Enriquez, the mother 
of Fernando, the reHef of his poor relations, and the 
payment of the most trivial debts. 

Having thus scrupulously attended to all the claims of 
affection, loyalty, and justice upon earth, he turned his 
thoughts to heaven, confessing himself, partaking of the 
Holy Sacrament, and complying with the other ceremo- 
nies of a devout Catholic. In his last moments he was 
attended by his son Diego and a few faithful followers, 
among whom was Bartholomew Fiesco, who had accom- 
panied Diego Mendez in the perilous expedition from 
Jamaica to Hispaniola. Surrounded by these devoted 
friends, he expired with great resignation, on the 20th 
of May, 1506, being about seventy years of age. His 
last words were, "In manus tuas, Domine, commendo 
spiritum meum." '' Into thy hands, O Lord, I commend 
my spirit." 



CHAPTER XLVI. 

OBSERVATIONS ON THE CHARACTER OF COLUMBUS. 

Columbus was a man of great and inventive genius. 
The operations of his mind were energetic, but irregular, 
bursting forth at times with that irresistible force which 
characterizes intellects of such an order. His ambition 
was lofty and noble, inspiring him with high thoughts, 
and an anxiety to distinguish himself by great achieve- 
ments. He aimed at dignity and wealth in the same 
elevated spirit with which he sought renown ; they were 
to rise from the territories he should discover, and be 
commensurate in importance. The vast gains that he 



CHARACTER OF COLUMBUS. 349 

anticipated from his discoveries he intended to appropri- 
ate to princely purposes ; to institutions for the rehcf of 
the poor of his native city, to the foundation of churches, 
and, above all, to crusades for the recovery of the Holy 
Sepulchre. 

He was tenacious of his rank and privileges, not from 
a mere vulgar love of titles, but because he prized them 
as testimonials and trophies of his illustrious deeds. 
Every question of compromise concerning them he re- 
pulsed with disdain. " These things," said he, nobly, 
" concern my honor." In his testament he enjoined on 
his son Diego, and whomsoever after him should inherit 
his estates, whatever other titles might be granted by 
the king, always to sign himself simply " The Admiral," 
by way of perpetuating in the family the source of its 
real greatness. 

His conduct was characterized by the grandeur of 
his views and the magnanimity of his spirit. Instead 
of ravaging the newly found countries, like many of his 
contemporary discoverers, who were intent only on im- 
mediate gain, he regarded them with the eyes of a legis- 
lator; he sought to colonize and cultivate them, to civil- 
ize the natives, to subject everything to the control of 
law, order, and religion, and thus to found regular and 
prosperous empires. That he failed in this was the fault 
of the dissolute rabble which it was his misfortune to 
command, with whom all law was tyranny and all order 
oppression. 

He was naturally irritable and impetuous, and keenly 
sensible to injury and injustice; yet the quickness of his 
temper was counteracted by the benevolence and gener- 
osity of his heart. The magnanimity of his nature shone 
forth through all the troubles of his stormy career. 
Though continually outraged in his dignity, braved in his 



350 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

authority, foiled in his plans, and endangered in his per- 
son by the seditions of turbulent and worthless men, and 
that, too, at times when suffering under anguish of body 
and anxiety of mind enough to exasperate the most 
patient, yet he restrained his valiant and indignant spirit, 
and brought himself to forbear and reason, and even to 
supplicate. Nor should we fail to notice how free he 
was from all feeling of revenge, how ready to forgive and 
forget on the least signs of repentance and atonement. 
He has been extolled for his skill in controlling others, 
but far greater praise is due to him for the firmness he 
displayed in governing himself. 

/ His piety was genuine and fervent ; religion mingled 
with the whole course of his thoughts and actions, and 
shone forth in his most private and unstudied writings. 
Whenever he made any great discovery, he devoutly 
returned thatiks to God. The voice of prayer and the 
melody of praise rose from his ships on discovering 
the New World, and his first action on landing was to 
prostrate himself upon the earth, and offer up thanks- 
givings. Every evening, the Salve Rcgina and other 
vesper hymns were chanted by his crew, and masses 
were performed in the beautiful groves that bordered 
the wild shores of this heathen land. All his great 
enterprises were undertaken in the name of the Holy 
Trinity, and he partook of the Holy Sacrament previ- 
ous to embarkation. He observed the festivals of the 
Church in the wildest situations. The Sabbath was to 
him a day of sacred rest, on which he would never sail 
from a port unless in case of extreme necessity. The 
religion thus deeply seated in his soul diffused a sober 
dignity and a benign composure over his whole deport- 
ment ; his very language was pure and guarded, and free 
from all gross or irreverent expressions^ 



CHARACTER OF COLUMBUS. 351 

It cannot be denied, however, that his piety was min- 
gled with superstition and darkened by the bigotry of 
the age. He evidently concurred in the opinion that all 
the nations who did not acknowledge the Christian faith 
were destitute of natural rights ; and that the sternest 
measures might be used for their conversion, and the 
severest punishments inflicted upon them, if obstinate 
in unbelief. In this spirit of bigotry he considered him- 
self justified in making captives of the Indians and trans- 
porting them to Spain, to have them taught the doctrines 
of Christianity, and in selling them for slaves if they pre- 
tended to resist his invasions. In doing the latter he 
sinned against the natural goodness of his heart, and 
against the feelings he had originally entertained and ex- 
pressed towards this gentle and hospitable people ; but 
he was goaded on by the mercenary impatience of the 
crown, and by the sneers of his enemies at the unprofit- 
able result of his enterprises. It is but justice to his 
character to observe that the enslavement of the Indians 
thus taken in battle was at first openly countenanced by 
the crown, and that, when the question of right came to 
be discussed at the request of the queen, several of the 
most distinguished jurists and theologians advocated the 
practice ; so that the question was finally settled in favor 
of the Indians solely by the humanity of Isabella. As 
the venerable Bishop Las Casas observes, where the 
most learned men have doubted, it is not surprising that 
an unlearned mariner should err. 

These remarks, in palliation of the conduct of Colum- 
bus, arc required by candor. It is proper to show him 
in connection with the age in which he lived, lest the 
errors of the tiines should be considered his individual 
faults. It is not intended, however, to justif}' him on 
a point where it is inexcusable to err. Let it remain a 



352 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

blot on his illustrious name, and let others derive a 
lesson from it. 

A peculiar trait in his rich and varied character re- 
mains to be noticed ; namely, that ardent and enthusi- 
astic imagination which threw a magnificence over his 
whole course of thought. A poetical temperament is dis- 
cernible throughout all his writings and in all his actions. 
We see it in all his descriptions of the beauties of the 
wild lands he was discovering ; in the enthusiasm with 
which he extols the verdure of the forests, the grandeur 
of the mountains, and the crystal clearness of the run- 
ning streams ; the blandness of the temperature, the 
purity of the atmosphere, and the fragrance of the air, 
" full of dew and sweetness." It spread a golden and 
glorious world around him, and tinged everything with 
its own gorgeous colors. It betrayed him into vision- 
ary speculations, which subjected him to the sneers and 
cavils of men of cooler and safer, but more grovelling, 
minds. Such were the conjectures formed on the coast 
of Paria, about the form of the earth and the situation 
of the terrestrial Paradise ; about the mines of Ophir, 
and the Aurea Chersonesus of the ancients; and such 
was the heroic scheme of a crusade for the recovery of 
the Holy Sepulchre. It filled his mind with solemn and 
visionary meditations on mystic passages of the Script- 
ures, and on the shadowy portents of the prophecies. 
It exalted his own ofifice in his eyes, and made him con- 
ceive himself an agent sent forth upon a sublime and 
awful mission, and subject to mysterious intimations 
from the Deity; such as the voice which he imagined 
spoke to him in comfort amidst the troubles of His- 
paniola, and in the silence of the night on the disas- 
trous coast of Veragua. 

He was decidedly a visionary, but a visionary of an 



CHARACTER OF COLUMRUS. 353 

uncommon kind, and successful in his dreams. The 
manner in which his ardent imagination and mercurial 
nature were controlled by a powerful judgment and di- 
rected by an acute sagacity is the most extraordinary 
feature in his character. Thus governed, his imagina- 
tion, instead of exhausting itself in idle flights, lent aid 
to his judgment and enabled him to form conclusions 
at which common minds could never have arrived — nay, 
which they could not perceive when pointed out. 

To his intellectual vision it was given to read the signs 
of the times, and to trace in the conjectures and reve- 
ries of past ages the indications of an unknown world, 
as soothsayers were said to read predictions in the stars, 
and to foretell events from the visions of the night. 
" His soul," observes a Spanish writer, " was superior to 
the age in which he lived. For him was reserved the 
great enterprise of traversing a sea which had given rise 
to so many fables, and of deciphering the mystery of his 
age." 

With all the visionary fervor of his imagination, its 
fondest dreams fell short of the reality. He died in igno- 
rance of the real grandeur of his discovery ! Until his 
last breath, he entertained the idea that he had merely 
opened a new way to the old resorts of opulent com- 
merce, and had discovered some of the wild regions of 
the East. He supposed Hispaniola to be the ancient 
Ophir, which had been visited by the ships of King Sol- 
omon, and that Cuba and Terra Firma were but remote 
parts of Asia. What visions of glory would have broken 
upon his mind could he have known that he had indeed 
discovered a new continent, equal to the old world in 
magnitude, and separated by two vast oceans from all 
the earth hitlurto known b\' civilized man ! And how 
would his magnanimous spirit have been consoled, amidst 
(23) 



354 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

the afflictions of age and the cares of penury, the neg- 
lect of a fickle public and the injustice of an ungrate- 
ful king, could he have anticipated the splendid empires 
which would arise in the beautiful world he had discov- 
ered ; and the nations and tongues and languages which 
were to fill its lands with his renown, and to revere and 
bless his name to the latest posterity ! 



A VISIT TO PALOS. 

[Thr following narrative was actually commenced, by the author of this 
work, as a letter to a friend, but unexpeclecUy swelled to its present size. 
lie has been induced to insert it here from the idea that many will feel the 
same curiosity to know something of the present state of Palos and its 
inhabitants that led him to make the journey.] 

Seville, 1828. 

Since I last wrote to you I have made what I may 
term an American Pilgrimage, to visit the little port of 
Palos in iVndalusia, where Columbus fitted out his ships, 
and whence he sailed for the discovery of the New World. 
Need I tell you how deeply interesting and gratifying it 
has been to me? I had long meditated this excursion, 
as a kind of pious, and, if I may so say, filial duty of an 
American, and my intention was quickened when I learnt 
that many of the edifices mentioned in the " History of 
Columbus " still remained in nearl)' the same state in 
which they existed at the time of his sojourn at Palos, 
and that the descendants of the intrepid Pinzons, who 
aided him with ships and money, and sailed with him 
on the great voyage of discovery, still flourished in the 
neighborhood. 

The very evening before my departure from Seville, 
on the excursion, I heard that there was a young gentle- 
man of the Pinzon family studying law in the cit>-. I 
got introduced to him, and found him of most prepos- 
sessing appearance and manners. He gave me a letter 
of introduction to his father, Don Juan Fernandez Pin- 



35^ THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

zon, resident of Moguer, and the present head of the 
family. 

As it was in the middle of August, and the weather 
intensely hot, I hired a calesa for the journey. This is 
a two-wheeled carriage resembling a cabriolet, but of the 
most primitive and rude construction ; the harness is 
profusely ornamented with brass, and the horse's head 
decorated with tufts and tassels and dangling bobs of 
scarlet and yellow worsted. I had, for calasero, a tall, 
long-legged Andalusian, in short jacket, little, round- 
crowned hat, breeches decorated with buttons from the 
hip to the knees, and a pair of russet-leather bottinas, 
or spatterdashes. He was an active fellow, though un- 
commonly taciturn for an Andalusian, and strode along 
beside his horse, rousing him occasionally to greater speed 
by a loud malediction or a hearty thwack of his cudgel. 

In this style I set off, late in the day, to avoid the 
noontide heat, and after ascending the lofty range of 
hills that borders the great valley of the Guadalquivir, 
and having a rough ride among their heights, I descended 
about twilight into one of those vast, silent, melancholy 
plains, frequent in Spain, where I beheld no other signs 
of life than a roaming flock of bustards and a distant 
herd of cattle, guarded by a solitary herdsman, who, 
with a long pike planted in the earth, stood motionless 
in the midst of the dreary landscape, resembling an Arab 
of the desert. The night had somewhat advanced when 
we stopped to repose, for a few hours, at a solitary venta 
or inn, if it might so be called, being nothing more than 
a vast, low-roofed stable, divided into several compart- 
merits for the reception of the troops of mules and arri- 
eros (or carriers) who carry on the internal trade of Spain. 
Accommodation for the traveller there was none — not 
even for a traveller so easily accommodated as myself. 



A VISIT TO PA LOS. 357 

The land lord had no food to give me, and as to a bed, 
he had none but a horse-cloth, on which his onl)' child, 
a boy of eight years old, lay naked on the earthen floor. 
Indeed, the heat of the weather and the fumes from the 
stables made the interior of the hovel insupportable, so 
I was fain to bivouac on my cloak on the pavement at 
the door of the venta, where, on waking after two or 
three hours of sound sleep, I found a contrabandista (or 
smuggler) snoring beside me, with his blunderbuss on his 
arm. 

i resumed my journey before break of day, and had 
made several leagues by ten o'clock, when we stopped 
to breakfast, and to pass the sultry hours of mid-day, in 
a large village, from whence we departed about four 
o'clock, and after passing through the same kind of soli- 
tary country, arrived just after sunset at Moguer. This 
little city (for at present it is a city) is situated about 
a league from Palos, of which place it has gradually 
absorbed all the respectable inhabitants, and, among the 
number, the whole family of the Pinzons. 

So remote is this little place from the stir and bustle 
of travel, and so destitute of the show and vainglory of 
this world, that my calesa, as it rattled and jingled along 
the narrow and ill-paved streets, caused a great sensation ; 
the children shouted and scampered along by its side, 
admiring its splendid trappings of brass and worsted, and 
gazing with reverence at the important stranger who 
came in so gorgeous an equipage. 

I drove up to the principal posada, the landlord of 
which was at the door. He was one of the very civilest 
men in the world, and disposed to do everything in his 
power to make me comfortable; there was only one diffi- 
culty, he had neither bed nor bedroom in his house. 
In fact, it was a mere venta for muleteers, who \x\c accus- 



358 7' HE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

tomed to sleep on the ground with their mule-cloths for 
beds and pack-saddles for pillows. It was a hard case, 
but there was no better posada in the place. Few people 
travel for pleasure or curiosity in these out-of-the-way- 
parts of Spain, and those of any note are generally re- 
ceived into private houses. I had travelled sufficiently in 
Spain to find out that a bed, after all, is not an article of 
indispensable necessity, and was about to bespeak some 
quiet corner where I might spread my cloak, when, fortu- 
nately, the landlord's wife came forth. She could not 
have a more obliging disposition than her husband, but 
then — God bless the women ! — they always know how 
to carry their good wishes into effect. In a little while 
a small room, about ten feet square, that had formed a 
thoroughfare between the stables and a kind of shop or 
baf-room, was cleared of a variety of lumber, and I was 
assured that a bed should be put up there for me. From 
the consultations I saw my hostess holding with some of 
her neighbor gossips, I fancied the bed was to be a kind 
of piecemeal contribution among them, for the credit of 
the house. 

As soon as I could change my dress I commenced the 
historical researches which were the object of my jour- 
ney, and inquired for the abode of Don Juan Fernandez 
Pinzon. My obliging landlord himself volunteered to 
conduct me thither, and I set off full of animation at 
the thoughts of meeting with a lineal representative of 
one of the coadjutors of Columbus. 

A short walk brought us to the house, which was most 
respectable in its appearance, indicating easy, if not afflu- 
ent, circumstances. The door, as is customary in Span- 
ish villages, during summer, stood wide open. We en- 
tered with the U3ual salutation, or rather summons, "Ave 
Maria!" A trim Andalusian handmaid answered to the 



A VISIT TO PA LOS. 359 

call, and, on our inquiring for the master of the house, 
led the way across a little patio, or court, in the centre of 
the edifice, cooled by a fountain surrounded by shrubs 
and flowers, to a back court or terrace, likewise set out 
with flowers, where Don Juan Fernandez was seated 
w itii his family, enjoying the serene evening in the open 
air. 

I was much pleased with his appearance. He was a 
venerable old gentleman, tall and somewhat thin, witli 
fair complexion and gray hair. He received me with 
great urbanity, and on reading the letter from his son, 
appeared struck with surprise to fintl I had come quite to 
Moguer, merely to visit the scene of the embarkation of 
Columbus; and still more so on my telling him that one 
of my leading objects of curiosity was his own family 
connection ; for it would seem that the worthy cavalier 
had troubled his head but little about the enterprises of 
his ancestors. 

I now took my seat in the domestic circle, and soon 
felt myself quite at hom^, for there is generally a frank- 
ness in the hospitality of the Spaniards that soon puts 
a stranger at his ease beneath their roof. The wife of 
Don Juan Fernandez was extremely amiable and afTable, 
possessing much of that natural aptness for which the 
Spanish women are remarkable. In the course of con- 
versation with them I learnt that Don Juan Fernandez, 
who is sevent\'-two years of age, is the eldest of five 
brothers, nil of whom are married, have numerous off^- 
spring, and live in Moguer and its vicinit>-, in nearly the 
same condition and rank of life as at the time of the dis- 
covery. This agreed with what I had previously heard 
respecting the families of the discoverers. Of Columbus 
no lineal and direct descendant exists ; his was an exotic 
stock that never took deep and lasting root in the coun- 



360 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

try ; but the race of the Pinzons continues to thrive and 
multiply in its native soil. 

While I was yet conversing a gentleman entered, who 
was introduced to me as Don Luis Fernandez Pinzon, 
the youngest of the brothers. He appeared to be be- 
tween fifty and sixty years of age, somewhat robust, with 
fair complexion and gray hair, and a frank and manly 
deportment. He is the only one of the present genera- 
tion that has followed the ancient profession of the fam- 
ily, having served with great applause as an of^cer of 
the royal navy, from which he retired on his marriage, 
about twenty-two years since. He is the one, also, who 
takes the greatest interest and pride in the historical 
honors of his house, carefully preserving all the legends 
and documents of the achievements and distinctions of 
his family, a manuscript volume of which he lent to me 
for my inspection. 

Don Juan now expressed a wish that, during my resi- 
dence in Moguer, I would make his house my home. I 
endeavored to excuse myself, alleging that the good peo- 
ple at the posada had been at such extraordinary trouble 
in preparing quarters for me that I did not like to dis- 
appoint them. The worthy old gentleman undertook 
to arrange all this, and, while supper was preparing, we 
walked together to the posada. I found that my oblig- 
ing host and hostess had indeed exerted themselves to 
an uncommon degree. An old rickety table had been 
spread out in a corner of the little room as a bedstead, 
on top of which was propped up a grand cama de hixo, or 
state bed, which appeared to be the admiration of the 
house. I could not, for the soul of me, appear to under- 
value what the poor people had prepared with such 
hearty good-will, and considered such a triumph of art 
and luxury ; so I again entreated Don Juan to dispense 



A VISIT TO PALOS. 361 

with my sleeping at his liousc, promising most faithfully 
to make my meals there whikst I should stay at Moguer; 
and as the old gentleman understood my motives for de- 
clining his invitation, and felt a good-humored sympatliy 
in them, we readily arranged the matter. I returned, 
therefore, with Don Juan to his house, and supped with 
his family. During the repast a plan was agreed upon 
for my visit \c, Palos, and to the convent ^a Rabida, in 
which Don Juan volunteered to accompany me and be 
my guide, and the following day was allotted to the ex- 
pedition. We were to breakfast at a hacienda, or coun- 
try seat, which he possessed in the vicinity of Palos, in 
the midst of his vineyards, and were to dine there on 
our return from the convent. These arrangements being 
made, we parted for the night ; I returned to the posada, 
highly gratified with ni)^ visit, and slept soundly in the 
extraordinary bed which, I may almost say, had been 
invented for my accommodation. 

On the following morning, bright and early, Don Juan 
Fernandez and myself set off in the calesa for Palos. I 
felt apprehensive, at first, that the kind-hearted old gen- 
tleman, in his anxiety to oblige, had left his bed at too 
early an hour, and was exposing himself to fatigues un- 
suited to his age. He laughed at the idea, and assured 
me that he was an early riser, and accustomed to all 
kinds of exercise on horse and foot, being a keen sports- 
man, and frequently passing days together among the 
mountains on shooting expeditions, taking with him ser- 
vants, horses, and provisions, and living in a tent. He 
appeared, in fact, to be of an active habit, and to possess 
a youthful vivacity of spirit. His cheerful disposition 
rendered our morning drive extremely agreeable ; his ur- 
banity was shown to every one whom we met on the 
road ; even the common peasant was saluted b\- him with 



362 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

the appellation of caballero, a mark of respect ever grati- 
fying to the poor but proud Spaniard, when yielded by a 
superior. 

As the tide was out, we drove along the flat grounds 
bordering the Tinto. The river was on our right, 
while on our left was a range of hills, jutting out into 
promontories, one beyond the other, and covered with 
vineyards and fig-trees. The weather was serene, the 
air soft and balm}', and the landscape of that gentle kind 
calculated to put one in a quiet and happy humor. We 
passed close by the skirts of Palos, and drove to the 
hacienda, which is situated at some little distance from 
the village, between it and the river. The house is 
a low stone building, well whitewashed, and of great 
length ; one end being fitted up as a summer residence, 
with saloons, bedrooms, and a domestic chapel ; and the 
other as a bodega, or magazine for the reception of the 
wine produced on the estate. 

The house stands on a hill, amidst vineyards which 
are supposed to cover a part of the site of the ancient 
town of Palos, now shrunk to a miserable village. Be- 
yond these vineyards, on the crest of a distant hill, are 
seen the white walls of the Convent of La Rabida, rising 
above a dark wood of pine-trees. 

Below the hacienda flows the river Tinto, on which 
Columbus embarked. It is divided by a low tongue 
of land, or rather the sand-bar of Saltes, from the river 
Odiel, with which it soon mingles its waters, and flows on 
to the ocean. Beside this sand-bar, where the channel 
of the river runs deep, the squadron of Columbus was 
anchored, and from hence he made sail on the morning 
of his departure. 

The soft breeze that was blowing scarcely ruffled the 
surface of this beautiful river ; two or three picturesque 



A VISIT TO PA LOS. 3^3 

barks, called mysticks, with long lateen sails, were gliding 
down it. A little aid of the imagination might suffice to 
picture them as the light caravels of Columbus, sallying 
forth on their eventful expedition, while the distant bells 
of the town of Huelva, which were ringing melodiously, 
might be supposed as cheering the voyagers with a fare- 
well peal. 

I cannot express to you what were my feelings, on 
treading the shore w^hich had once been animated by the 
bustle of departure, and whose sands had been printed 
by the last footstep, of Columbus. The solemn and sub- 
lime nature of the event that had followed, together 
with the fate and fortunes of those concerned in it, filled 
the mind with vague yet melancholy ideas. It was like 
viewing the silent and empty stage of some great drama, 
when all the actors had departed. The very aspect of 
the landscape, so tranquilly beautiful, had an effect upon 
me; and as I paced the deserted shore, by the side of a 
descendant of one of the discoverers, I felt my heart 
swelling with emotions and my eyes filling with tears. 

What surprised me was to find no semblance of a 
seaport ; there was neither wharf nor landing-place — 
nothing but a naked river bank, with the hulk of a ferry- 
boat, which I was told carried passengers to Huelva, 
lying high and dry on the sands, deserted by the tide. 
Palos, though it has doubtless dwindled away from its 
former size, can never have been important as to extent 
and population. If it possessed w^arehouses on the 
beach, they have disappearctl. It is at present a mere 
village of the poorest kind, and lies nearly a quarter of 
a mile from the river, in a hollow among hills. It con- 
tains a few hundred inhabitants, who subsist principally 
by laboring in the fields and vineyards. Its race of mer- 
chants and mariners are extinct. There are no vessels 



364 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

belonging to the place, nor any show of traffic, except- 
ing at the season of fruit and wine, when a few mysticks 
and other light barks anchor in the river to collect the 
produce of the neighborhood. The people are totally 
ignorant, and it is probable that the greater part of them 
scarce know even the name of America. Such is the 
place from whence sallied forth the enterprise for the 
discovery of the Western World ! / 

We were now summoned to breakfast in a little saloon 
of the hacienda. The table was covered with natural 
luxuries produced upon the spot — fine purple and mus- 
catel grapes from the adjacent vineyard, delicious melons 
from the garden, and generous wines made on the estate. 
The repast was heightened by the genial manners of my 
hospitable host, who appeared to possess the most envi- 
able cheerfulness of spirit and simplicity of heart. 

After breakfast we set off in the calesa, to visit the 
Convent of La Rabida, which is about half a league dis- 
tant. The road, for a part of the way, lay through the 
vineyards, and was deep and sandy. The calasero had 
been at his wit's end to conceive what motive a stranger 
like myself, apparently travelling for mere amusement, 
could have in coming so far to see so miserable a place 
as Palos, which he set down as one of the very poorest 
places in the whole world ; but this additional toil and 
struggle through deep sand, to visit the old Convent of 
La Rabida, completed his confusion. " Hombre ! " ex- 
claimed he, " es una ruina ! no hay mas que dos frailes ! " 
— " Zounds ! why, it's a ruin ! There are only two friars 
there!" Don Juan laughed, and told him that I had 
come all the way from Seville precisely to see that old 
ruin and those two friars. The calasero made the Span- 
iard's last reply when he is perplexed — he shrugged his 
shoulders and crossed himself. 



A VISIT TO PALOS. 365 

After ascending a hill, and passing through the skirts 
of a straggling pine wood, we arrived in front of the con- 
vent. It stands in a bleak and solitary situation, on the 
brow of a rocky height, or promontory, overlooking to 
the west a wide range of sea and land, bounded by the 
frontier mountains of Portugal, about eight leagues dis- 
tant. The convent is shut out from a view of the vine- 
yard of Palos by the gloomy forest of pines which I have 
mentioned, which cover the promontory to the east, and 
darken the whole landscape in that direction. 

There is nothing remarkable in the architecture of the 
convent; part of it is Gothic, but the edifice having been 
frequently repaired, and being whitewashed, according 
to a universal custom in Andalusia, inherited from the 
Moors, it has not that venerable aspect which might be 
expected from its antiquity. 

We alighted at the gate where Columbus, when a poor 
pedestrian, a stranger in the land, asked bread and water 
for his child ! As long as the convent stands, this must 
be a spot calculated to awaken the most thrilling inter- 
est. Tlic gate remains apparently in nearly the same 
state as at the time of his visit, but there is no longer a 
porter at hand to administer to the wants of the wayfarer. 
The door stood wide open, and admitted us into a small 
courtyard. From thence we passed through a Gothic 
portal into the chapel, without seeing a human being. 
We then traversed two interior cloisters, equally vacant 
and silent, ant! hearing a look of neglect and dilapida- 
tion. From an open window we had a peep at w hat had 
once been a garden, but that had also gone to ruin; the 
walls were broken and thrown down ; a few shrubs, and 
a scattered fig-tree or two, were all the traces of cultiva- 
tion that remained. We passed through the long dormi- 
tories, but the cells were shut up and abandoned ; we 



366 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

saw no living thing except a solitary cat stealing across 
a distant corridor, which fled in a panic at the unusual 
sight of strangers. At length, after patrolling nearly the 
whole of the empty building, to the echo of our own foot- 
steps, we came to where the door of a cell, being partly 
open, gave us the sight of a monk within, seated at a 
table writing. He rose, and received us with much 
civility, and conducted us to the superior, who was read- 
ing in an adjacent cell. They were both rather young 
men, and, together with a novitiate and a lay brother, 
who officiated as cook, formed the whole community of 
the convent. 

Don Juan Fernandez com.municated to them the ob- 
ject of my visit, and my desire also to inspect the ar- 
chives of the convent, to find if there was any record of 
the sojourn of Columbus, They informed us that the 
archives had been entirely destroyed by the French. 
The younger monk, however, who had perused them, 
had a vague recollection of various particulars concern- 
ing the transactions of Columbus at Palos, his visit to 
the convent, and the sailing of his expedition. From all 
that he cited, however, it appeared to me that all the 
information on the subject contained in the archives had 
been extracted from Herrera and other well-known au- 
thors. The monk was talkative and eloquent, and soon 
diverged from the subject of Columbus to one which he 
considered of infinitely greater importance — the miracu- 
lous image of the Virgin possessed by their convent, and 
known by the name of " Our Lady of La Rabida." He 
gave us a history of the wonderful way in which the 
image had been found buried in the earth, where it had 
lain hidden for ages, since the^timeof the conquest of 
Spain by the Moors ; the disputes between the convent 
and different places in the neighborhood for the posses- 



A visrr TO PA LOS. 367 

sion of it ; the marvellous protection it extended to the 
adjacent country, especially in preventing all madness, 
cither in man or dog — for this malady was anciently so 
l)rcvalcnt in this place as to gain it the appellation of La 
Rabia, by which it was originally called ; a name which, 
thanks to the beneficent influence of the Virgin, it no 
longer merited or retained. Such are the legends and 
relics with which every convent in Spain is enriched, 
which are zealously cried up by the monks, and devoutly 
credited by the populace. 

Twice a year, on the festival of Our Lady of La Ra- 
bida, and on that of the patron saint of the order, the 
solitude and silence of the convent are interrupted by the 
intrusion of a swarming multitude, composed of the in- 
habitants of Moguer and Iluelva, and the neighboring 
plains and mountains. The open esplanade in front of 
the edifice resembles a fair, the adjacent forest teems 
with the motley throng, and the image of Our Lady of 
La Rabida is borne fortli in triumphant procession. 

While the friar was thus dilating upon the merits and 
renown of the image, I amused myself with those day- 
dreams, or conjurings of the imagination, to which I am 
a little given. /As the internal arrangements of convents 
are apt to be the same from age to age, I pictured to 
myself this chamber as the same inhabited by the guard- 
ian, Juan Perez de Marchena, at the time of the visit of 
Columbus. Why might not the old and ponderous table 
before me be the very one on which he displayed his 
conjectural maps, and expounded his theory of a western 
route to India? It required but another stretch of the 
imagination to assemble the little conclave around the 
table ; Juan Perez, the friar, Garcia Fernandez, the phy- 
sician, and Martin Alonzo Pinzon. the bold navigator, all 
listening with rapt attention to Columbus, or to the tale 



368 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

of some old seaman of Palos, about islands seen in the 
western parts of the ocean. / 

The friars, as far as their poor means and scanty knowl- 
edge extended, were disposed to do everything to pro- 
mote the object of my visit. They showed us all parts 
of the convent, which, however, has little to boast of, 
excepting the historical associations connected with it. 
The library was reduced to a few volumes, chiefly on 
ecclesiastical subjects, piled promiscuously in the corner 
of a vaulted chamber, and covered with dust. The cham- 
ber itself was curious, being the most ancient part of the 
edifice, and supposed to have formed part of a temple in 
the time of the Romans. 

We ascended to the roof of the convent to enjoy the 
extensive prospect it commands. Immediately below the 
promontory on which it is situated runs a narrow, but 
tolerably deep, river, called the Domingo Rubio, which 
empties itself into the Tinto. It is the opinion of Don 
Luis Fernandez Pinzon that the ships of Columbus were 
careened and fitted out in this river, as it affords better 
shelter than the Tinto, and its shores are not so shallow. 
A lonely bark of a fisherman was lying in this stream, 
and not far off, on a sandy point, were the ruins of an 
ancient watchtower. From the roof of the convent all 
the windings of the Odiel and the Tinto were to be seen, 
and their junction into the main stream, by which Co- 
lumbus sallied forth to sea. In fact, the convent serves 
as a landmark, being, from its lofty and solitary situation, 
visible for a considerable distance to vessels coming on 
the coast. On the opposite side I looked down upon 
the lonely road, through the wood of pine-trees, by 
which the zealous guardian of the convent, Fray Juan 
Perez, departed at midnight on his mule, when he sought 
the camp of Ferdinand and Isabella, in the vega of 



A VISIT TO PA LOS. 369 

Granada, to plead the project of Columbus before the 
queen. 

Having finished our inspection of the convent we pre- 
pared to depart, and were accompanied to the outward 
portal by the two friars. Our calasero brought his rat- 
tling and rickety vehicle for us to mount ; at sight of 
which one of the monks exclaimed, with a smile, " Santa 
Maria! only to think! A calcsa before the gate of the 
convent of La Rabida ! " And, indeed, so solitary and 
remote is this ancient edifice, and so simple is the mode 
of living of the people in this by-corner of Spain, that 
the appearance of even a sorry calesa might well cause 
astonishment. It is only singular that in such a by-cor- 
ner the scheme of Columbus should have found intelli- 
gent listeners and coadjutors, after it had been discarded, 
almost with scofTing and contempt, from learned univer- 
sities and splendid courts. 

On our way back to the hacienda we met Don Rafael, 
a younger son of Don Juan Fernandez, a fine young man, 
about twenty-one years of age, and who, his father in- 
formed me, was at present studying French and mathe- 
matics. He was well mounted on a spirited gray horse, 
and dressed in the Andalusian style, with the little round 
hat and jacket. He sat his horse gracefully and man- 
aged him well. I was pleased with the frank and easy 
terms on which Don Juan appeared to Hve with his chil- 
dren. This I was inclined to think his favorite son, as I 
understood he was the only one that partook of the old 
gentleman's fondness for the chase, and that accom- 
panied him in his hunting excursions. 

A dinner had been prepared for us at the hacienda, by 
the wife of the capitaz, or overseer, who, with her hus- 
band, seemed to be well pleased with this visit from Don 
Juan, and to be confident of receiving a pleasant answer 

24 



370 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

from the good-humored old gentleman whenever they 
addressed him. The dinner was served up about two 
o'clock, and was a most agreeable meal. The fruits and 
wines were from the estate, and were excellent ; the rest 
of the provisions were from Moguer, for the adjacent 
village of Palos is too poor to furnish anything. A gen- 
tle breeze from the sea played through the hall and tem- 
pered the summer heat. Indeed, I do not know when I 
have seen a more enviable spot than this country retreat 
of the Pinzons. Its situation on a breezy hill, at no great 
distance from the sea, and in a southern climate, pro- 
duces a happy temperature, neither hot in summer nor 
cold in winter. It commands a beautiful prospect, and 
is surrounded by natural luxuries. The country abounds 
with game, the adjacent river affords abundant sport in 
fishing, both by day and night, and delightful excursions 
for those fond of sailing. During the busy seasons of 
rural life, and especially at the joyous period of vintage, 
the family pass some time here, accompanied by numer- 
ous guests, at which times, Don Juan assured me, there 
was no lack of amusements, both by land and water. 

When we had dined, and taken the siesta, or afternoon 
nap, according to the Spanish custom in summer time, 
we set out on our return to Moguer, visiting the village 
of Palos in the way. Don Gabriel had been sent in ad- 
vance to procure the keys of the village church, and to 
apprise the curate of our wish to inspect the archives. 
The village consists principally of two streets of low, 
whitewashed houses. Many of the inhabitants have 
very dark complexions, betraying a mixture of African 
blood. 

On entering the village we repaired to the lowly man- 
sion of the curate. I had hoped to find him some such 
personage as the curate in " Don Quixote," possessed of 



A VISIT 7 PA LOS. 371 

shrewdness and information in his hmited sphere, and 
that I might gain some anecdotes from him concerning 
his parish, its worthies, its antiquities, and its historical 
events. Perhaps I might have done so at any other 
time, but, unfortunately, the curate was something of a 
sportsman, and had heard of some game among the 
neighboring hills. We met him just sallying forth from 
his house, and, I must confess, his appearance was pict- 
uresque. He was a short, broad, sturdy little man, and 
had doffed his cassock and broad clerical beaver for a 
short jacket and a little round Andalusian hat ; he had 
his gun in hand, and was on the point of mounting a 
donkey which had been led forth by an ancient withered 
handmaitl. Fearful of being detained from his foray, he 
accosted my companion the moment he came in sight. 
" God preserve you, Sefior Don Juan ! I have received 
your message, and have but one answer to make. The 
archives have all been destroyed. We have no trace of 
anything you seek for — nothing — nothing. Don Rafael 
has the keys of the church. Vou can examine it at your 
leisure. Adios, caballero ! " With these words the gal- 
liard little curate mounted his donkey, thumped his ribs 
with the but-cnd of his gun, and trotted off to the hills. 

In our w^a\' to the church we passed by the ruins of 
what had once been a fair and spacious dwelling, greatly 
superior to the other houses of the village. This, Don 
Juan informed me, was an old family possession, but 
since they had removed from Palos it had fallen to 
decay for want of a tenant. It was probably the family 
residence of Martin Alonzo or Vicente Yafiez Pinzon in 
the time of Columbus. 

We now arrived at the Church of St. George, in the 
porch of which Columbus first proclaimed to the inhabit- 
ants of Palos the order of the sovereigns, that they 



372 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

should furnish him with ships for his great voyage of dis- 
covery. This edifice has lately been thoroughly repaired, 
and, being of solid mason-work, promises to stand for 
ages, a monument of the discoverers. It stands outside 
of the village, on the brow of a hill, looking along a 
little valley toward the river. The remains of a Moorish 
arch prove it to have been a mosque in former times ; 
just above it, on the crest of the hill, is the ruin of a 
Moorish castle. 

I paused in the porch, and endeavored to recall the 
interesting scene that had taken place there, when Co- 
lumbus, accompanied by the zealous friar Juan Perez, 
caused the public notary to read the royal order in pres- 
ence of the astonished alcaldes, regidors, and alguazils; 
but it is difficult to conceive the consternation that must 
have been struck into so remote a little community by 
this sudden apparition of an entire strange-r among them, 
bearing a command that they should put their persons 
and ships at his disposal, and sail with him away into 
the unknown wilderness of the ocean. 

The interior of the church has nothing remarkable, 
excepting a wooden image of St. George vanquishing 
the Dragon, which is erected over the high altar, and is 
the admiration of the good people of Palos, who bear it 
about the streets in grand procession on the anniversary 
of the saint. This group existed in the time of Columbus, 
and now flourishes in renovated youth and splendor, hav- 
ing been newly painted and gilded, and the countenance 
of the saint rendered peculiarly blooming and lustrous. 

Having finished the examination of the church, we re- 
sumed our seats in the calesa and returned to Moguer. 
One thing only remained to fulfill the object of my pil- 
grimage. This was to visit the chapel of the Convent of 
Santa Clara. When Columbus was in danger of being 



A VISIT TO PA LOS. 373 

lost in a tempest on his way home from his great voyage 
of discovery, he made a vow that, should he be spared, 
he would watch and pray one whole night in this chapel; 
a vow which he doubtless fulfilled immediately after his 
arrival. 

M}' kind and attentive friend, Don Juan, conducted 
me to the convent. It is the wealthiest in Mogucr, and 
belongs to a sisterhood of Franciscan nuns. The chapel 
is large, and ornamented with some degree of richness, 
particularly the part about the high altar, which is em- 
bellisiied by magnificent monuments of the brave family 
of the Puerto Carrcros, the ancient lords of Moguer, and 
renowned in Moorish warfare The alabaster effigies of 
distinguished warriors of that house, and of their wives 
and sisters, lie side by side, with folded hands, on tombs 
immediately before the altar, while others recline in deep 
niches on either side. The night had closed in by the 
time I entered the churcli, which made the scene more 
impressive. A few votive lamps shed a dim light about 
the interior; their beams were feebly reflected by the 
gilded work of the high altar and the frames of the sur- 
rounding paintings, and rested upon the marble figures 
of the warriors and dames lying in the monumental 
repose of ages. The solemn pile must have presented 
much the same appearance when the pious discoverer 
performed his vigil, kneeling before this very altar, and 
praying and watching throughout the night, and pouring 
forth heart-felt praises for having been spared to accom- 
plish his sublime discovery. 

I had now completed the main purpose of my journey, 
having visited the various places connected with the story 
of Columbus. It was highly gratifying to find some of 
them so little changed, though so great a space of time 
had intervened; but in this quiet nook of Spain, so far 



374 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

removed from the main thoroughfares, the lapse of time 
produces but few violent revolutions. Nothing, however, 
had surprised and gratified me more than the continued 
stability of the Pinzon family. On the morning after my 
excursion to Palos, chance gave me an opportunity of 
seeing something of the interior of most of their house- 
holds. Having a curiosity to visit the remains of a 
Moorish castle, once the citadel of Moguer, Don Fernan- 
dez undertook to show me a tower which served as a 
magazine of wine to one of the Pinzon family. In seek- 
ing for the key, we were sent from house to house of 
nearly the whole connection. All appeared to be living 
in that golden mean equally removed from the wants 
and superfluities of life, and all to be happily interwoven 
by kind and cordial habits of intimacy. We found the 
females of the family generally seated in the patios, or 
central courts of their dwellings, beneath the shade of 
awnings, and among shrubs and flowers. Here the An- 
dalusian ladies are accustomed to pass their mornings 
at work, surrounded by their handmaids, in the primi- 
tive, or, rather, oriental, style. In the porches of some 
of the houses I observed the coat of arms granted to 
the family by Charles the Fifth, hung up like a picture 
in a frame. Over the door of Don Luis, the naval ofifi- 
cer, it was carved on an escutcheon of stone, and colored. 
I had gathered many particulars of the family also from 
conversation with Don Juan, and from the family legend 
lent me by Don Luis. From all that I could learn, it 
would appear that the lapse of nearly three centuries 
and a half has made but little change in the condition 
of the Pinzons. From generation to generation they 
have retained the same fair standing and reputable 
name throughout the neighborhood, filling oflfices of pub- 
lic trust and dignity, and possessing great influence over 



A VISIT TO PALOS. 375 

their fcllou-citizcns by their good sense and good con- 
duct. How rare is it to sec such an instance of stability 
of fortune in this fluctuating world, and how truly honor- 
able is this hereditary respectability, which has been se- 
cured by no titles or entails, but perpetuated merely 
by the innate worth of the race! I declare to you that 
the most illustrious descents of mere titled rank could 
never command the sincere respect and cordial regard 
with which I contemplated this stanch and enduring 
family, which for three centuries and a half has stood 
merely upon its virtues. 

As I was to set off on my return to Seville before two 
o'clock, I partook of a farewell repast at the house of 
Don Juan, between twelve and one, and then took leave 
of his household with sincere regret. The good old 
gentleman, with the courtesy, or rather the cordiality, of 
a true Spaniard, accompanied me to the posada, to see 
me ofT. I had dispensed but little money in the posada 
— thanks to the hospitality of the Pinzons — yet the Span- 
ish pride of my host and hostess seemed pleased that I 
had preferred their humble chamber and the scant}' 
bed they had provided me to the spacious mansion of 
Don Juan ; and when I expressed my thanks for their 
kindness and attention, and regaled mine host with a few 
choice cigars, the heart of the poor man was overcome. 
He seized me by both hands and gave me a parting ben- 
ediction, and then ran after the calasero, to enjoin him 
to take particular care of me during my journey. 

Taking a hearty leave of my excellent friend Don 
Juan, who had been unremitting in his attentions to me 
to the last moment, I now set ofT on ni)' wayfaring, grati- 
fied to the utmost with my visit, and full of kind and 
grateful feelings towards Moguer and its hospitable in- 
habitants. 



APPENDIX. 

OBSEQUIES OF COLUMBUS. 

The body of Columbus was deposited in the convent 
of San Francisco, and his obsequies were celebrated with 
funeral pomp in the parochial church of Santa Maria de 
la Antigua, in Valladolid. His remains were transported, 
in 1 5 13, to the Carthusian Convent of Las Cuevas, at 
Seville, and deposited in the chapel of Santa Christo. 
In the year 1536 they were removed to Hispaniola, 
and interred by the side of the grand altar of the cathe- 
dral of the city of San Domingo. But even here they 
did not rest in quiet. On the session of Hispaniola to 
the French, in 1795, it was determined by the Spaniards 
to bear them ofT to the island of Cuba as precious relics, 
connected with the most glorious epoch of Spanish his- 
tory. Accordingly, on the 20th December, 1795, in the 
presence of an august assemblage of the dignitaries of the 
Church and the civil and military officers, the vault was 
opened beside the high altar of the cathedral ; within 
were found the fragments of a leaden cofifin, a number of 
bones, and a quantity of mould, evidently the remains of 
a human body. These were carefully collected and put 
into a case of gilded lead, secured by an iron lock ; the 
case was enclosed in a coffin covered with black velvet, 
and the whole placed in a temporary mausoleum. On 
the following day there was another grand convocation 
at the cathedral ; the vigils and masses for the dead were 



APPEA'DJX. 2)77 

chanted, and a funeral sermon was preached by the arch- 
bishop. After these solemn ceremonials in the cathe- 
dral the coffin was transported to the ship, attended by 
a grand civil, religious, and military procession. The 
banners were covered with crape ; there were chants and 
responses, and discharges of artillery ; and the most dis- 
tinguished persons of the several orders took turns to 
support the coffin. 

The reception of the body at Havana was equally 
august. There was a splendid procession of boats to 
conduct it from the ship to the shore. On passing the 
vessels of war in the harbor, they all paid the honors due 
to an Admiral and Captain-General of the navy. On ar- 
riving at the mole, the remains were met by the governor 
of the island, accompanied by the generals of the mili- 
tary staff. They were then conveyed in the utmost 
pomp to the cathedral. Masses and the solemn cere- 
monies of the dead were performed by the bishop, and 
the mortal remains of Columbus were deposited in the 
wall, on the right side of the grand altar, where they still 
remain. 

It is with deep satisfaction that the author of this 
work is able to close his history with the account of a 
ceremonial so noble and affecting, and so honorable to 
the Spanish nation. When we read of the remains of 
Columbus thus conveyed from the port of San Domingo, 
after an interval of nearly three hundred years, as sacred 
national relics, with civil and military pomp and high 
religious ceremonial, we cannot but reflect that it was 
from this very port he was carried off, loaded with igno- 
minious chains, blasted apparently in fame and fortune, 
and taunted by the revilings of the rabble. Such honors, 
it is true, are nothing to the dead, nor can they atone 
to the heart, now dust and ashes, for all the wrongs and 



3/8 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

sorrows it may have suffered ; but they speak volumes 
of comfort to the illustrious yet slandered and perse- 
cuted living, encouraging them bravely to bear with 
present injuries, by showing them how true merit out- 
lives all calumny, and receives its glorious reward in the 
admiration of after ages. 

Note.— ^ While this abridgment was going to press the author received 
a letter from Madrid, mentioning a recent circumstance which may be of 
some interest to the reader of this work. The emancipation of the Spanish 
colonies in America had stripped the heirs of Columbus of all their property, 
insomuch that his last direct descendant and representative, the Duke of 
Veraguas, a young nobleman of worth and talent, was reduced to extreme 
poverty. He instituted a claim upon the government for indemnification, 
which has just been allowed. A pension of twenty-four thousand dollars 
has been assigned him on the revenues of Cuba and Porto Rico. It is a 
circumstance highly to his credit, that, in the time of his greatest distress, 
he refused sums that were offered him for various documents in the archives 
of his family, and particularly for autographs of his illustrious ancestor. 



A GLOSSARY 

OF THE LATIN. P^RENCII. SrANISH, AND OTHER NOT- 
EASILY-UNDERSTOOD WORDS AND THRASES. 

ALSO, A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THOSE PERSONS AND PLACES SPOKEN OF, 
WHOSE HISTORY CONTAINS SOMETHING PECULIAR, OR A KNOWLEDGE 
OF WHOM CANNOT BE OBTAINED FROM SOURCES ORDINARILY WITHIN 
THE REACH OF THE READER. 

Adios, adieu, farewell. 

Adclatitado, lieu tenant-governor. 

Alcala de la Guadaira, a small Spanish town, situated six miles southeast 

of Seville, on the river Guadaira. 
Alcalde (Spanish), a justice of the peace, or judge who administers justice 

in a town. 
Alcantara, one of the three ancient Spanish orders of knighthood. It as- 
sumed this name from the town of Alcantara, in the Spanish province of 
Estremadura, which was given to it in 1207. 
Alcaydc, governor of a castle or fort. 
Algitazil (from the Spanish^ an inferior officer of justice, answering to our 

constable. 
Alhambra, the red city, formerly t!ie royal palace of the Moorish kings of 

(jranada, in Spain. 
Alpha and Omega, names of the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, 

hence often used to signify the beginning and end. 
Amazons, a race of masculine women or female warriors. 
Anana, pineapple. 

Anjou. an ancient province of France. 

Apostolical Vicar, the Pope's representative in religious affairs. 
Arabic, language of the inhabitants of Arabia, which is the most westerly 

portion of southern Asia, between the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf. 
Archdeacon, an ecclesiastical officer, next in rank to a bishop, for whom he 
acts on many occasions. He has a superintendence over other clergymen 
in his district. 



380 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

Archipelago, a sea interspersed with many islands ; the name generally ap- 
plied to the /Egean Sea, situated between Europe and Asia, but in this 
volume referring to ihe islands in tlie Caribbean Sea. 

Aristotle, a distinguished Grecian philosopher, born three hundred and 
eighty-four years before Christ, at Stagira, in Macedonia ; hence he is 
sometimes called the Stagyrite. 

Arrieros, carriers. 

Arqiiclnisier, a soldier armed with an arquebuse, a kind of firearms, for- 
merly in use, which was cocked with a wheel. 

Atlmitis. Many of the ancients supposed that there existed in the Atlantic 
Ocean a large island, to which the above name was given. Writers differ 
in their description and location of it, and as no such island is now 
known, the general opinion is that its existence was imaginary. Some, 
however, conjecture that the original accounts were true ; but that, 
instead of an island, the early voyagers had visited the American ccxi- 
tinent. 

Augustine, St. See Saint. 

Aura or Aurea Chersonesus, the golden peninsula. There is much differ- 
ence of opinion among the learned, what place the ancients intended to 
designate by this name. Dr. Rees considers there is little reason to doubt 
that the Golden Chersonese is the southern part of the former kingdom, 
now province, of Pegu, in Asia, which may be considered as insulated. 

Autograph, a person's own handwriting. 

Ave Maria, the beginning of a Roman Catholic prayer to the Virgin Mary, 
from which the whole prayer is called Ave Maria. It literally means, 
Hail, Mary ; and is the commencement of the salutation which the 
angel addressed to the Virgin, when announcing to her that she should be 
the mother of our Saviour. 

Avenger, a title given to King John the First of Portugal, who reigned from 
1383 to 1433. He was inflexible in the punishment of crimes, and rooted 
out the band of bravoes kept by the nobility to execute private revenge. 
It was a saying of his that conversation was the cheapest of all pleasures, 
as well as the most improving, and he promoted a taste for letters among 
his people. 

Arej'tos, sacred, heroic, and historic ballads of the natives of Hispaniola, or 
Hayti, or San Domingo, as the island is variously called. 

Benedictine, an order of monks, founded by St. Benedict. He was born at 
Norcia, in Spoleto (which lies north of Rome), in the year 480. " In the 
fourteenth year of his age he retired to a cavern, situated in the desert of 
Subiaco, forty miles from Rome, and in 515 drew up a rule for his 
monks, which was first introduced into the monastery on Monte Cassino, 
in the neighborhood of Naples, founded by him (in 529) in a grove of 



GLOSSAR y. 3<S I 

Apollo, after the temple had been demolished. With the intention of 
banishing idleness, he prescribed, in addition to the work of God (as he 
called prayer and the reading of religious writings), the instruction of 
youth in reading, writing, and cipliering, in the doctrines of Christianity, 
in manual labors (including mechanic arts of every kind), and in the man- 
agement of the monastery. With regard to dress and food, the rule was 
severe, but not extravagant. He caused a library in be founded, for 
which the aged and infirm brethren were obliged to copy manuscripts. 
By this means he contributed to preserve the literary remains of antiquity 
from ruin ; for though he had in view only the copying of religious writ- 
ings, yet the practice was afterwards extended to classical works of every 
kind. Tlic learned world is indebted for the preservation of great literary 
treasures to the order of St. Benedict." 

Bight, a bend or small bay between two points of land. 

Bivouac, a military term, signifying to watch, or be on guard, or to lie in 
the open air, remaining dressed, so as to be ready to march at a moment's 
warning. 

Bodega, a magazine, storeroom, wine-cellar. 

Bottinas, spatterdashes, or coverings for the legs. 

Bustard, a common name of a species of waders, or birds that often wade 
in the water for their food. The great bustard is the largest of European 
land birds, averaging in weight twenty-five pounds. They seldom fly, 
but employ their wings, as the ostrich does, to aid them in running. 
They congregate in flocks, and are usually found on open and level 
grounds. They feed on grain, herbs, seeds, worms, and insects. 

Butios, Indian priests. 

Cahallei-o, a knight, nobleman, cavalier. 

Cabriolet, a light carriage, or one-horse chair. 

Cacique, a chief. 

Calabash, a vessel made of a dried gourd-shell, or shell of the fruit of the 
calabash tree, which resembles somewhat a squash or pumpkin shell, but 
is much harder, and closer grained. 

Calabria, a mountainous country forming the southern part of the peninsula 
of Italy. 

CaU'sa, a Spanish calash or chaise with two wheels. 

Calcscro, driver of a calash. 

Calicut, a district of Hindostan, in Asia, on the Malabar coast. 

Canta de luxo (Spanish), state bed. 

Cape Bojador, on the western coast of .Africa. 

Cape Aon, on the west coast of the island of Ivica, in the Mediterranean 
Sea. 

Cape of Good Hope, southern extremity of Africa. 



382 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

Cape Tiburon, the southwest extremity of Hispaniola, or San Domingo. 

Capitaz, overseer. 

Captain-general of the Navy, in Spain, the commander-in-chief of a fleet. 

Caravel, a light, round, old-fashioned ship. 

Caribs, inhabitants of the Caribbee Islands, as a part of the West India 
Islands are called. In the last century they were almost entirely expelled. 
They are of an olive-brown color, but paint themselves with a red vege- 
table paint, called annotto, as a defence against insects. They voracious- 
ly devour the flesh of their enemies. 

Carthusian, a religious order of monks, founded by St. Bruno, in 1086, who 
derived their name from the desert of Chartreuse, which is about twelve 
or fifteen miles from the city of Grenoble, in the southeast of France, 
and in which they built their first hermitages, which were anciently 
called Chartreuses. They practiced the greatest abstinence, wore coarse 
garments, and lived exclusively upon vegetables and the coarsest bread. 
Their habit or dress was entirely white within, covered with a black 
mantle. Their fifth general, who died in 1137, "prescribed, besides 
their usual monastic vows, eternal silence and solitude. Mechanical 
labors, copying of books, and religious worship, constituted their occupa- 
tion. They observed a strict temperance, and submitted to bleeding five 
times a year. Excessive penance was forbidden, but their laws were 
very severe against disobedience. They were in general well informed, 
hospitable, and remarkable for their neatness." The order is now abol- 
ished, excepting in Sicily and Spain. 

Cassava, a bread made of the root of the yuca ; which see. 

Cassock, a robe or gown worn over the other garments, particularly by the 
clergy. 

Castillanos, a Spanish coin equal to five dollars thirty-two cents and five 
mills. 

Catalonians, inhabitants of Catalonia, a province of Spain. 

Ceres, the fabled goddess of corn and of harvests, who is said to have 
instructed mankind in the knowledge of agriculture, how to plow the 
ground, sow and reap corn, and make bread. She is usually represented 
with a garland of ears of corn on her head, holding in one hand a lighted 
torch and in the other a poppy ; sometimes she appears as a country- 
woman sitting on the back of an ox, carrying a basket on her left arm, 
and holding a hoe. 

Ceuta, a city on the African coast of the Mediterranean. 

Chaldaic, the language of the inhabitants of Chaldea, one of the most 
famous nations of Asia, in ancient times. Chaldea was the southerly part 
of Babylonia, towards Arabia and the Persian Gulf. It was formerly a 
fertile country, but is now barren. 



GLOSSARY. 383 

Charles V., " Emperor of Germany and King of Spain (in the latter capac- 
ity he is called Charles the First)," was born at Ghent, in the Netherlands, 
February 24, 1500. lie " had a noble air and refined manners; spoke 
little and smiled seldom ; was firm of purpose ; slow to decide ; prompt 
to execute ; equally rich in resources and sagacious in tlie choice of 
them ; gifted with a cool judgment and always master of himself, he 
steadily pursued his purposes, and easily triumphed over obstacles. 
Circumstances developed his genius and made him great. An acute 
judge of men, he knew how to use them for his purposes. In mis- 
fortune he appeared greater than in prosperity. He protected and 
encouraged the arts and sciences, and is said to have ]iickcd up a brush 
which had fallen from the hand of the celebrated painter Titian, with the 
words. ' Titian is worthy of being served by an emperor.' " He is 
looked upon as " one of the most remarkable characters in history. He 
exhibited no talents in his youth, and in after life, when his armies in 
Italy were winning battle after battle, he remained quietly in Spain, 
apparently not much interested in these victories ; but even in his early 
youth, his motto was {Nondtini) Not yet.'' But, from his thirtieth year 
to the time of abdicating his throne, he showed himself a monarch. " No 
minister had a marked influence over him ; he was indefatigable in busi- 
ness, weighing the reasons on both sides of every case with great minute- 
ness ; very slow in deciding ; unchangeable of purpose. Wherever he 
was, he imitated the customs of the country, and won the favor of every 
people e.\cept the Germans. He was slow in punishing, as well as in 
rewarding ; but when he did punish, it was with severity ; when he 
rewarded, it was with munificence." He relinquished his right to the 
Spanish throne in favor of his son Philip, January 15, 1556, and retired 
to the monastery of St. Justus, near Placencia, in the province of 
Estremadura, in Spain. " Here he exchanged sovereignty, dominion, and 
pomp, for the quiet and solitude of a cloister. His amusements were con- 
lined to short rides, to the cultivation of a garden, and to mechanical 
labors. It is said that ho made wooden clocks, and being unable to make 
two of them go exactly alike, he was reminded of tlie folly of his efforts to 
bring a number of men to the same sentiments. He attended religious 
services twice daily, read books of devotion, and gradually fell intcj such 
dejection that his faculties seemed to suffer from it. He renounced the 
most innocent pleasures, and observed the rules of the monastic life in all 
their rigor. In order to perform an extraordinary act of piety, he cele- 
brated his own obsequies. \Vrap])ed in a shroud, and surrounded by his 
retinue, he laid himself in a coffin, which was placed in the middle of 
the church. The funeral service was performed, and the monarch 
mingled his voice with those of the clergy who prayed for him. .Vflcr 



384 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

the last sprinkling, all withdrew, and the doors were closed. He 
remained some time in the coffin, then arose, threw himself before the 
altar, and returned to his cell, where he spent the night in deep medita- 
tion. This ceremony hastened his death," which occurred from a fever, 
September 21, 1558, in the fifty-ninth year of his age 

Cibao, a district in the interior of Hispaniola, so named from its stony, 
sterile appearance. 

Clerical Beaver, clergyman's hat. 

Coat of Arms, emblematic badge of a family ; originally worn un some part 
of the person's armor, hence its name. 

Co7tfession, in the Roman Catholic Church, an acknowledgment of sins 
and faults to a priest, to obtain a remission of them. 

Contrabandista, a smuggler ; one who carries on a trade in goods, the ex- 
porting or importing of whicli is prohibited by law, 

Cubanacan, a name given by the natives to a province in the centre of Cuba, 
nacan, in their language, signifying "in the midst." 

Darieii (Isthmus of), a narrow neck of land which connects North and 
South America. 

Decked. Vessels having planked floors which connect the sides together, 
and .serve as platforms to support the artillery, lodge the men, and also to 
preserve the cargo from sea and rain, are said to be decked. 

Desperado, a desperate fellow. 

Dominican^ an order of monks founded by St. Dominic de Guzman, of 
Calahorra, in Old Castile, who was the inquisitor-general of ihe first 
Inquisition. He was born in 1170, and died at Bologna, in 1221. The 
principal object of this order of monks was to preach against heretics, or 
those who held and taught opinions opposed to the Roman Catholic faith. 
At one time it extensively prevailed in Europe and on the coasts of Asia, 
x\frica, and America. It now flourishes chiefly in Spain, Portugal, and 
Sicily. The monks dress in black, with white mantles and veils, the nuns 
in white, with black mantles and veils. See Frajiciscau. 

Don Quixote (Adventures of), a very celebrated work, written by Cervantes, 
a distinguished Spanish writer, who was born in 1547, and died in 1616, 
at Madrid, where he lies buried, without a stone to indicate the spot. 
The object had in view by the author in this work was "to reform the 
taste and opinions of his countrymen. He wished to ridicule that adven- 
turous heroism, with all its evil consequences, the source of which was the 
innumerable novels on knight-errantry. While he struggles against the 
prevailing false romance of the time, he displays the most truly romantic 
spirit. The beginning of the work was at first coldly received, but soon 
met with the greatest applause, in which, at a later period, the whole of Eu- 
rope joined," and it has now been translated into every European language. 



GLOSSARY. 385 

Dryads, wood-nymphs, fabled goddesses wlio were said to preside over 
woods or forests. 

Ducat, a coin used by several European nations, varying in value, but worth 
about two dollars and twenty-five cents. 

East (Tiie). The countries situated in Asia, beinjj east of Europe, arc 
generally spoken of as The East, or the Eastern or Oriental world, as 
America, being west of Europe, is denominated the Western world. 

Edctt, the place in which our first parents dwelt, previously to their dis- 
obedience and fall. There is a great difference of opinion relative to its 
precise situation, li is often termed Paradise, from a Greek word signi- 
fying a park or garden. 

Elspailola. See IIispa)tiola. 

Esplanade, as used in this volume, means a grass-plat. 

Falconets, small pieces of artillery. 

False Keel, a strong, thick piece of timber, fastened with iron bolls to the 
lower side of the keel or bottom of a ship, for the purpose of preserv- 
ing it. 

Ferro, or Hiero, the most westerly of the Canary Islands. It was anciently 
supposed to be the most western point of the old world, and was employed 
by all geographers as their first meridian, or the point from which they 
calculated longitude. 

Flamingo, an aquatic bird, of which there are two species. The one re- 
ferred to in this volume is an inhabitant of the tropical parts of America, 
and migrates in the summer season to the Southern, and sometimes, 
though seldom, to the Middle Siates. It is from three to four feet in 
height, of a deep red color with black quills. " They live in large flocks, 
frequenting desert sea-coasts and salt-marshes. They are shy and watch- 
ful. While feeding they keep together, drawn up artificially in lines, 
which, at a distance, resemble those of an army. They employ some to 
act as sentinels, for the security of the rest. On the approach of danger 
these sentinels give warning by a loud sound, like that of a trumpet, 
which may be heard at a great distance. When flying, they form a tri- 
angle." They feed on shell-fish, insects, and the spawn of fishes. 

Flanders. See Flemish. 

J-lemish, relating to Flanders, a country situated partly in France and partly 
in the Netherlands. 

Florentine, an inhabitant of Florence, the capital of Tuscany. 

Flores, one of the Azores or Western Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean. 

Foray, act of ravaging ; as used in this volume, a hunting excursion. 

Franciscan, a religious order of monks, founded in 1208, by St. Francis of 
Assisi, in Umbria. The order was originally distinguished by vows of 
absolute poverty, and a renunciation of all the ple.nsures of the world. 
25 



386 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

Their common dress is a coarse woolen frock, with a cord round the 
, waist, to which is suspended a rope with a knotted scourge. " An interest- 
ing comparison might be made between St. Franciscus and St. Dominic. 
The first labored all his life to relieve the poor and persecuted, to propa- 
gate the gospel among the lower classes, who, in those convulsed periods, 
were almost entirely excluded, in most countries, from education and in- 
struction in Christianity ; whilst ^St. Dominicus strove to spread Chris- 
tianity by persecution. The character of the two is deeply imprinted on 
the two orders — the humble Franciscans and the zealous Dominicans." 

Friar, a term derived from the Spanish, French, and Italian word for 
brother, and applied to monks, as associated or bound together in 
brotherhood. 

Furling, rolling up and fastening the sails of vessels. 

Genoese, belonging or relating to Genoa. 

George, St, See Saint George. 

Giralda, a Spanish name for a vane or weathercock in the form of a statue ; 
derived from the statue of a woman put on the spire of the cathedral 
church of Seville. 

Gloria in excelsis Deo, Glory to God in the highest, the commencing words 
of a hymn of praise to the Almighty. 

Grand or Great Khan, a title given in the north of Asia to the highest royal 
dignitary. 

Grand Soldan, Sultan, king. 

Grapplings, iron instruments having four or five sharp-pointed flukes or 
claws, and used in naval engagements to seize hold of and secure an 
enemy's ship. 

Gray Friar, a monk of the Franciscan order ; ivhich see. 

Guanin, adulterated gold. 

Hacienda, country seat. 

Hebrew, the language of the Jews or Israelites, the descendants of Abraham. 

Heir-apparent, one who has an absolute and exclusive right to succeed to 
an estate or crown. 

Herrera, a Spanish historian, who was born at Cuellar, in Segovia, in 1559. 
and died 1625. 

Hidalgo, in Spain, a person of noble birth. 

High Admiral, as used in this volume, admiral-in-chief, or highest officer. 

High Altar. In Roman Catholic churches, there are several altars ; the 
principal one is elevated above the others, and is called the high altar. 

His Holiness, a title of the Pope. 

Hispaniola, Hayti, or San Domingo, one of the largest and most fertile of 
the West India Islands, named by Columbus Espanola, from a fancied 
resemblance to some of the beautiful provinces of Spain. , 



GLOSSARY. 387 

Holy Chair, a term frequently used for Pope, as " the crown " is often 
used instead of king. 

Holy Sepulchre, llic supposed tomb or hurial-plate of Christ, in Jerusalem. 

Holy Writ, the Bible. 

India, Indians, names given to this country and to its inhabitants, by Co- 
lumbus, on his discovery of America, under the impression that it was the 
eastern coast of Asia, for which he was in search, that he had reached. 
Subsequently, when the mistake was ascertained, the name was retained 
w iili the word West prefixed, so as to distinguish the country from the 
other, or East Indies. At a later period the name West Indies was 
restricted to the islands, which now retain it, lying between North and 
South America. 

Indulgence, remission of punishment due to sins ; granted by the Pope or 
Romish Church. 

Infidels, disbelievers of Christianity. 

Israelite, a Jew. 

Junta, a high council of state. 

Junto, a council. 

Labrador, an extensive country of North America, seven hundred miles 
long from north to south, and five hundred miles broad, situated between 
Hudson's Bay, the Atlantic Ocean, and Canada. It belongs to Great 
Britain, and is annexed to the government of Newfoundland. The 
severity of tlie climate and the barrenness of the region, confining the 
visits of foreigners principally to the coasts, it has never been fully 
explored. 

Lactantius, a celebrated orator and author, supposed to have been an 
African. He was, at first, a teacher of rhetoric, and afterwards the tutor 
of Crispus, the eldest son of Constantinc the (Ireat. On account of the 
purity and eloquence of his language he is frequently styled the Chris- 
tian Cicero. He died about 325. 

Latine, or Lateen, a triangular sail, frequently used by vessels navigating 
the Mediterranean Sea. 

Lay-Brother, a pious but illiteraie person, who devotes himself in some 
convent or monasterj'to the service of the religious (as that class devoted 
exclusively to religious affairs is termed) ; being too ignorant to become 
a clerk (or clergyman), he applies himself wholly to bodily labor. 

Levant, from the Italian and French, signifying the East. In a general 
sense, this name is used to designate the countries on the eastern coast 
of the Mediterranean Sea, and in a more contracted sense, the Asiatic 
coasts from Constantinople to Alexandria, in Kgypt. 

I.ueayun, an inhabitant of the Bahama Islands. 

Lueayos, the Bahama Islands. 



388 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

Martin Behcm or Behaim, one of the most learned mathematicians and 
astronomers of his age, born at Nuremberg about 1430. 

Master of the game, the winner. 

Mayorazgo, an entailed estate. 

Medina Celi, a Spanish town in Old Castile, eighty-four miles southwest of 
Saragossa. 

Medina Sidonia, a Spanish town in Andalusia, twenty-two miles southeast 
of Cadiz. 

Mohammedan, a follower of, or believer in, the doctrines of Mohammed, an 
individual born at Mecca, in Arabia, a.d. 569, and who in the year 6og 
announced himself as an apostle of God. His religious code, written in 
Arabic, is contained in a book called the Koran, or Al Koran, a word sig- 
nifying The reading, or that which is to be read ; his doctrines were promul- 
gated as revelations of the divine will. " The first tenet of his creed was, 
'Allah alone is God, and Mohammed is his prophet.' Moses and Christ 
were regarded by him as divinely inspired teachers of former times ; he 
did not deny the authenticity of the sacred histories and revelations of 
Christianity," but believed them to have become corrupted ; he declared 
himself as sent Xo perfect the work of redemption already commenced. 
Tlie heaven he promised his followers was one of sensual pleasures. " His 
morality was compiled from the ancient Jewish and Christian systems. 
The chief points in it are, the faithful adoration of AUali as the only God, 
unwavering obedience to the commands of the prophet (that is, himself), 
the necessity of prayer, charity to the poor, purifications, abstinence 
from forbidden enjoyments (especially from strong drinks, a prohibition 
caused by the quarrels that arose among his adherents), bravery, upholding, 
even to death, the cause of God, and entire resignation to unavoidable 
fate." His doctrines were widely disseminated by means of the sword 
and violence, and to this day extensively prevail in Asia and Africa. It 
is unnecessary for us to draw a comparison between him and the Founder 
of Christianity, who preached Peace on earth, good-will to man. Moham- 
med died at Medina, A.D. 632, and in the holy chapel there is an urn, 
surrounded with iron trellis-work, which constitutes his sepulchre. 

Moors, a class of the inhabitants of western Africa, particularly of Fez and 
Morocco. The name was given to them by the Spanish writers, who 
derived it from Mauritania, as that part of Africa which they inhabited 
was called by the Romans. They held dominion in Spain for eight hun- 
dred years ; and were finally conquered, and their kingdom of Granada 
subdued, in 1491, by Ferdinand, after a ten years' war. After their subju- 
gation, a part of them "went to Africa ; but most of them remained in 
Spain, where they were industrious, peaceful subjects, and adopted gen- 
erally the external forms of Christianity. The Jatter were called in Spain, 



GLOSSARY. 389 

Moriscoes. Pliilip II., in his ferocious zeal for Christianity, resolved 
upon their entire destruction. His oppressions and persecutions excited 
an insurrection of the Moriscoes in (jranada (1571), after the suppression 
of which over one hundred thousand of them were banislied. I'hiiip III., 
in the same fanatic spirit, completed their expulsion, and nearly a million 
of them emiijrated to Africa. As they were the most ingenious and in- 
dustrious inhabitants of Spain, they were a great loss to the country. 
Agriculture speedily fell into decay, and their expulsion is regarded as 
one of the leading causes of the decline of Spain. 

Moorish, or Saracenic, Arch, in building, an arch which is sometimes lancet- 
shaped or pointed, and sometimes either of a crescent or horseshoe form. 
It is supposed to have been introduced into Spain by the Moors, and by 
them first used in buildings there erected. An explanation of different 
kinds of arches, with cuts, may be found in Bigelow's " Useful Arts,"' 
published as vols. xi. and xii. of " The School Library." 

Moslem, a Mohammedan. Every one who acknowledges the unity of God 
and the apostleship of Mohammed is called a Moslem ; that is, one who 
has given himself up to the will of God. and is therefore in a state of 
salvation. 

Muscatel, or Muscadel, from the Italian moscadello, a sweet wine, so named 
from its flavor. 

Ne plus ultra, a Latin phrase, literally meaning not hi Hi^ more beyond : used 
in this volume to denote the extreme limit, or farthest point of discovery. 

Nereids, sea-nymphs, named after Nereus, a fabled deity of the sea. 

Newfoundland, an island in the North Atlantic Ocean (separated from the 
North American continent by the Straits of Belle Isle and the Gulf of St. 
Lawrence), which was discovered in 1497, by Sebastian Cabot. See his 
Life, in vol. v. of "The School Library." 

New World, .Americ.i. 

Northmen, the inhabitants of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, who were so 
called in early times. 

Nubian, relating to Nubia, a country of Africa, south of Egypt, and lying 
on each side of the River Nile. It is the northern part of ancient Ethi- 
opia. Its inhabitants are perfectly black. 

Nuncio, thi Pope's ambassador. 

Ophir, a place frequently mentioned in Scripture, and supposed to have been 
situated in the East Indies or on the eastern coast of Africa. It was cele- 
brated for its gold, ivory, spices, and other valuable productions, for which 
it was visited in the time of David and Solomon. 

Optical Delusion, deception of the eyesight. 

Order of Santia^^o. or St. James, a Spanish military order, instituted in 1 170, 
by Eerdinand II , to stop the incursions of the Moors. The battle-cry of 



39° THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

the Spaniards, when engaging the Moors, was Santiago. " The knights 
were required to prove their descent from families that have been noble 
on both sides for four generations, and that their ancestors had neither 
been Jews, Saracens, nor heretics, nor called in question by the Inquisi- 
tion. Their vows are those of poverty, obedience, conjugal fidelity, and 
the defence of the immaculate conception of the Holy Virgin. 

Our Lady, a name by which the Virgin Mary is sometimes called by Roman 
Catholics. 

Papal Bull, an instrument, ordinance, or decree of the Pope, relating to 
matters of faith, or the affairs of the Romish Church, written on parch- 
ment, and having a leaden or golden seal. The name, from the Italian 
bolla, was originally applied to the seal itself. 

Papal Chair, the throne of the Pope. 

Patents, writings, given by the proper authority and duly authenticated, 
granting a privilege to some person or persons. 

Pater Noster, the Lord's prayer ; so called from the first two Latin words, 
signifying Our Father. 

Patios, courts, or open spaces in front of, or behind, houses. 

Patriarch, in the Church, a dignitary or officer superior to the archbishop. 

Payed, from pay, a nautical or sea phrase, implying to daub or anoint 
the surface of any body in order to preserve it from injury by water or 
weather. 

Penitences, sufferings endured as an expression of repentance for sins. 

Phantasy, freak, caprice. 

Phenicians, inhabitants of Phenicia, a territory in Syria, on the eastern coast 
of the Mediterranean, and northwest of Palestine, the principal cities of 
which were Tyre and Sidon. The Phenicians were early celebrated as 
adventurous mariners, and the invention of letters is attributed to them. 
They planted colonies on the shores of the Mediterranean, particularly 
Carthage, Hippo, Marseilles, and Utica, and their manufactures acquired 
such a superiority ovpr those of other nations, that among the ancients 
whatever was elegant, great, or pleasing, either in apparel or domestic 
utensils, was called Sidonian. In the time of Solomon, it is said, there 
were " none who were skilled how to hew timber like the Sidonians." 

Pillars of Hercules. According to some authors, two pillars are said to have 
been erected by Hercules, a celebrated hero in ancient mythology, upon 
the mountains on each side of the strait named after him (now known as 
the Straits of Gibraltar), intended to point out the limits of his wander- 
ings to the west. By other authors the mountains themselves are called 
the " Pillars." That on the Asiatic side is called Abyla, that on the Eu- 
ropean side, Calpe. The latter is now Gibraltar. 

Plato, a celebrated Greek philosopher, born about 429 B. c. He died on his 



GLOSSARY. 391 

eighty-second birthday. His name was given him (from a Greek word, 
signifying broad) on account of the breadth of liis chest and fore- 
head. 

Pliny, a distinguished Roman scholar ami historian. His bust known and 
most valued work is that entitled " Natural History, or History of the 
World." He filled many public offices. All time not required for official 
duties ho devoted to his literary pursuits. "He was a very early riser, 
even in winter ; often did not retire to bed at all ; and used to read while 
at meals, and in the bath, or had some one to read to him. He diligently 
noted down everything of importance; and often said, that no book was 
so bad but that something might be learned from it." When not able to 
write, he dictated to others. He fell a sacrifice to his spirit of inquiry, 
in the year 79 ; when, being near Vesuvius, during a terrible eruption of 
that volcano, he was induced to approach it, in order to e.xamine it the 
more closely, and whilst engaged in his scicntitic investigations, on the 
second day, " he perished by a suffocating vapor which spread over the 
whole countrj'." 

Postidii. a tavern or inn. 

Promised Land, Palestine, anciently called Canaan. It received the name 
of Land of Promise (see Heb. xi. g) on account of having been promised 
to the iiosterity of Abraham. "It embraces the coast of Syria on the 
Mediterranean, from Lebanon south to the limits of Egypt, and was one 
of the most fertile countries of the old world." 

Ptolemy, a celebrated geographer, mathematician, and astronomer, born in 
Egypt in the year 70, who is considered the first astronomer of antiquity. 
He was the earliest writer who sought to fix the situation of places by 
their latitude and longitude. 

I'undonor (Spanish), point of honor. 

A'egidors, magistrates of a city. 

Kcpartimientos (Spanish), partition, division, di-stribution. 

Kover, pirate, freebooter. 

Sagas, Icelandic heroic tales. 

Saint Augustine, one of the most renowned fathers of the Christian Cluircli. 
He was born at Tagaste, a small city in Africa, November 13, 354 ; and 
died at Hippo, August 28, 403. 

Saint George, " the holy knight ; according to ancient legends, a prince of 
Cappadocia," which was formerly one of the most important provinces 
of Asia. " His greatest achievement was the conquest of a dragon, by 
which he effected the deliverance of a king's daughter. He is commonly 
represented on horseback, in full armor, with the formidable dragon 
writhing at his feet. The drawing is founded on the tradition that Aja, 
the daughter of an ancient monarch, was met by a dragon, which attacked 



392 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

and threatened to devour lier." The knight, passing by. slew the dragon 
and rescued the lady. The ancient Christian emperors bore a representa- 
tion of the knight upon their standards. To these sacred banners was 
attributed a miraculous power, and it was supposed that those who fought 
under them were sure of conquering. St. George is called the protector 
and patron of the English nation. 

Saint Thomas, one of the Twelve Apostles, whose name has been given to 
many places. The reason of its being given, by Columbus, to the place 
mentioned on page 151, is there stated ; and its appropriateness may be 
judged of by reference to the Gospel of St. John, chapter xx., verses 24 to 
29, where the occurrence is recorded that Columbus at the time had in 
mind. 

Salve Rcgina, the name of the vesper or evening hymn to the Virgin, that 
is, to Mary, the mother of Christ. 

San Antonio, St. Anthony, born in Lisbon, August 15, 1195, and died at 
Padua, Italy, June 13, 1231. He was a disciple of St. Francis, and a 
prominent advocate of the Franciscan order. He is, by tradition, said to 
have been so eloquent that the very fishes were moved by his exhortations 
and preaching. 

Santa (Spanish), Saint. 

Santa Maria, Holy Mary ; an exclamation of surprise or wonder. 

Satyrs, wood gods, or fabulous deities who are said to have presided over 
woods. 

Saturn, one of the fabulous deities of the ancients, who is said to have 
taught the people of Italy agriculture, and the useful and liberal arts. 
While he was King of Italy his reign was so mild and popular, so benefi- 
cent and virtuous, that it has been called the golden age, to intimate the 
happiness and tranquillity which the earth then enjoyed. 

Scandinavian, from Scandinavia, the ancient name of the northern portion 
of Europe, embracing Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Iceland, etc. 

See, the jurisdiction of a bishop or archbishop. 

Semi-bar barotcs , half savage ; partially civilized. 

Seneca, a philosopher, born in the first year of the Christian era, at Corduba, 
in Spain. Most of his life was spent in Rome. He was condemned to 
death upon suspicion of being engaged in a conspiracy. Being allowed 
to choose the manner of his death, he caused his veins to be opened ; but 
the blood not flowing rapidly, he swallowed poison, and was subsequently 
drowned in a warm bath. 

Senor, Sir or master. 

Siesta (Spanish), the time for taking a nap after dinner, generally from one 
to three o'clock. In this volume it signifies the nap itself. 

Southern Ocean, the sea situated south of an imaginary line drawn from 



GLOSSARY. 393 

Cape Horn, the southern extremity of the American continent, to the 
Cape of Good Hope, anil conliiuiin^ cast, around back again to Cape 
Horn. 

Slaff, in military affairs, consists of a quartermaster-general, adjutant- 
general, majors of brigade, aids-de-camp, etc.; this term, therefore, means 
generally the ofiicers whose command extends over several bodies of 
troops, of which each has its particular officers. The term is derived 
from the baton or staff which was formerly carried by officers high in 
command. 

Straho, an eminent Greek geographer, born in Cappadocia, about the year 
19 of the Christian era. He travelled extensively in Greece, Italy, 
Egypt, and various parts of Asia. " His great geographical work, in 
seventeen books, contains a full account of the manners and governments 
of different people," and is deemed invaluable. 

Superhuman, more than human ; divine. 

Superior, the head or chief man of a monastery. 

TV Deum laudamus. We praise thee, O Lord ! The commencing words of a 
hymn of praise, frequently chanted on the occasion of some great national 
event. 

Teredo, a shell-fish of a tubular shape and about six inches long. It is very 
destructive to ships, perforating their bottoms in all directions. One 
species of this animal, it is said, has more than once threatened Holland 
with ruin, by the destruction of the dikes, which are raised to prevent the 
sea from overflowing the country. 

Terra Firnia, literally, firm earth or solid land ; used, in this volume, as the 
mainland or continent. 

Thomas, St. See Saint Thomas. 

Thule, a name given by the ancients to the most extreme land to the north 
with which they were acquainted. In this volume Iceland is meant. 
Probably the name was not always applied to the same place, by different 
writers, but varied with the progress of discovery. 

Tinto. This river is so called from its waters being tinged of a yellow 
color. It is situated in the Sjianish province of Seville, and empties into 
the Atlantic at the town of Huelva. 

Triptotemus, an ancient king of Attica, who is said to have been taught 
by Ceres everything which related to agriculture, and how to plow the 
ground, to sow and reap the corn, to make bread, and to take particular 
care of fruit-trees. He is also said to have travelled over the earth, dis- 
tributing corn to all the inhabitants of the world. 

Tunis, one of the Barbary States, in Africa, situated on the Mediterranean 
Sea, between Algiers and Trii^oli. 

Ultima Thule. See Thule. 



394 THE LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 

Va7-iation of the needle, deviation ~f the magnetic needle of the compass 
from the true north point, towards which it naturally turns. 

Vasco de Gama, a Portuguese, born at the small seaport of Sines, of a noble 
family. " He discovered the route to the East Indies by sea ; a discovery 
of the greatest importance, not only in regard to commerce, but to the 
civilization and political relations of Europe, and which laid the founda- 
tion of the commercial power of Portugal in the Indian seas."' He died 
in 1524, at Goa, in the East Indies. 

Veering, changing the course of a vessel. 

Vega, plain. 

Venetian, belonging or relating to Venice. 

Venta, an inn. 

Vesper-peal, the sound of the bell for evening religious service. 

Vicar, representative. 

Vinland, according to the recent investigations of the Royal Society of 
Northern Antiquaries, at Copenhagen, this name was given by the Euro- 
pean voyagers, who are supposed to have visited America in the tenth and 
eleventh centuries, to that portion of the country now included within the 
limits of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The name was selected in 
consequence of the great abundance of grape-vines that were met with ; 
vinland, vineland, land of vines. 

Virgin ore, pure, unadulterated ore. 

Weather-boards, boards placed in an inclined position to prevent the sea 
from breaking in upon a vessel. 

Ytua, Yucca, o\ Jucca, a name given by the natives of America and the 
West India Islands to a shrub which grows to the height of three feet, 
and bears broad, shining, hand-shaped leaves, and beautiful white and 
rose-colored flowers. It is the Jatropha manihot of botanists. Its roots 
are poisonous in their natural state, but when prepared by heat are harm- 
less and nutritive. The natives of this continent and the adjacent 
islands, when first visited by the Europeans, were in the practice of mak- 
ing a kind of bread of these roots, which they called Cassava or Cassada. 

Zemi (plural, Zemes), a name given by the natives of the island of His- 
paniola to supposed inferior deities, who acted as mediators or messengers 
between the Supreme Being and man. 



'U 



INDEX. 



Aborigines of New World, 71 ; 
customs and characteristics of, 
152, 154, 168 ; difficulties with, 
100, 130, 182, 192, 207, 227, 236, 
2gS, 299, 300 ; their sulijection, 
194 ; conspiracies of, 227 ; extir- 
pation of, 333. 

Acul, Bay of, supposed to be that to 
which Columbus gave the name 
St. Thomas. 89 

Adeiantado, Columbus appoints his 
brother Bartholomew, 180, 192, 
205 ; appointment confirmed by 
the sovereigns, 213. 

Admiral and Viceroy, Columbus de- 
mands to be appointed, 45 ; is 
appointed, 48 ; directs his heir 
never to use any other title in his 
signature than " the Admiral," 213, 

349- 

Aguado, Juan, appointed commis- 
sioner. 200 ; sails from Spain, 200 ; 
his arrival at Hayti, and his con- 
duct. 200, 201 ; departure for 
.Spain, 207 ; result of his mission, 
210. 

Alcantara, order of, 272. 

Alexander VI., Pope, his character, 
120 ; his bull dividing the New 
World between Spain and Portu- 
gal, 121. 

Alhambra, 44. 257, 268, 277, 340. 

Alpiia and Omega, name given by 
Columbus to ea-.tern end of Cuba, 
83, 1O5. 

.Mphonso of Portugal, cause of dis- 
covery languishes under, 20. 

Alvarado, Diego de, 261. 

Amazons, loi, 207. 

America, Scandinavian voyages to, 



iii.. iv. ; knowledge of , lost to man- 
kind, iv. 

Amerigo Vespucci, 251, 342. 

Anacaona, wife of Caonabo, 226, 
229, 253, 254, 331, 332. 

Anana or pineapple, first met with, 
128. 

Ancients, geographical theories of, 
II, 12. 13, 14. 

Andalusia, Palos in. j<v Palos. In- 
habitants of the seaboard ordered 
to furnish Columbus with supplies, 
51. 122. 

Angel, Luis dc .St., receiver of the 
ecclesiastical revenues of Arragon, 
appeals to the queen in behalf of 
Columbus, and is successful. 46 ; 
offers to advance the funds neces- 
sary, and his offer is accepted, 47. 

Anjou, John of, Duke of Calabria, 
tits out a naval expedition, 4. 

Antilla, island of, II, 16. 

Antilles, 16, 79, 12S. 

Arabian geographer's description of 
the Atlantic, iv. 

.\rana, Diego de, notary and alguazil 
of the armament, left in command 
at La Navidad, 97, 133, 137. 

Archipelago, in Caribbean Sea, i6.s, 
306. 

.\renal, Point, 220. 

Areytos, rhymes or ballads of the 
natives, 158, ig6. 

Aristotle's opinion of the ocean, 14 ; 
description of a weedy sea, (n. 

Arragon. Ferdinand, king of, 28. 

Arrows, Gulf of, ux). 133. 

Asia, Columbus thinks he has arrived 
at, 119. 172, 353. 

.Assassination of Columbus pro- 
posed to King John of Portugal, 
log. 



396 



INDEX. 



Atlantic, description of, by Xerif al 

Edresi, iv. 
, mariners feared to embark on, 

8. 
Atlantis, island of, Egyptian legend 

respecting, iii, ii. 
Augustine, St., Cape, 271. 
Aura Chersonesus, 172, 293, 309. 
Azna, port of, 245. 
Azores, 17, 105, 121. 



B. 



Babeque, a word used by natives, 
and supposed by Columbus to be 
the name of an island or province, 
81. 

Badajoz, Fonseca, Bishop of, 214. 

Bahama Islands, Columbus first lands 
on one of them, 75. 

Ballester, Miguel, 232, 240. 

Baptism of Indians, 123, 133. 

Barcelona, court at, iii ; reception of 
Columbus at, 114, 342. 

Barrameda, San Lucar de, 216. 

Bastides, 288. 

Battles with natives, 100, 131, 182, 
192, 207, 227, 236, 297, 298, 299. 

Bautista, San Juan, island, 131. 

Bayonne. ill. 

Baza, Columbus at surrender of, 39 : 
menace from Grand Soldan of 
Egypt brought to, 39. 

Behechio, cacique, 184, 185, 226, 
228, 331. 

Belen or Bethlehem, River, 292, 294. 

Bell, the wonder of the savages, 
187. 

Benin, a powerful kingdom said to be 
east of it, 21. 

Bermejo, Rodriguez, discovers land, 
70 ; his disappointment at not re- 
ceiving a reward, 118. 

Bethlehem, River, 292, 294. 

Birth and parentage of Columbus, i. 

Biscay. Bay of, iii. 

Bias, Point, 306. 

Bloodhounds. T92. 

Bobadilla, Francisco de, 259 ; ap- 
pointed commissioner, 259 ; arrests 
Columbus and sends him home in 
irons, 263 ; indignation of the sov- 



ereigns, and his recall, 269, 270 ; 

sails for Spain, 281 ; perishes in a 

tempest, 282. 
Boca del Drago, 223, 251. 
Bohio, a name used by the natives, 

and supposed by Columbus to be 

the name of an inland or province, 

81. 
Bojador, Cape, belitf that whoever 

doubled it would never return, 8 ; 

doubled under Prince Henry of 

Portugal, 9. 
Bonao, village, 240, 246, 254, 255. 
Boriquen, island, 131. 
Boyle, see Buyl. 
Brandan, a Scottish priest, said to 

have discovered an imaginary island 

in the Atlantic, 12. 
Brazil, 124. 

Breviesca, Ximeno de, 215. 
Buentiempo, Gulf of, 166. 
Bull, Papal, see Papal. 
Burgos, Columbus meets the sover- 
eigns at, 210. 
Buyl, or Boyle, Bernardo, the Pope's 

vicar in New World, 122, 140, 

162, 164, 181, 191, 198, 200, 210. 



Cabals, 64, 66, 67, 68, 147, 162. 

Cabinet, or El Retrete, 288. 

Cabo de la Cruz, 168, 175. 

Cabral, Pedro Alvarez, 277. 

Cabron, Cape, 236. 

Cacique visits Columbus, 89. 

of Cibao, or Maguana, see Cao- 

nabo and Manicaotex. Of Ciguay, 
see Mayonabex. Of Grand River, 
see Gautiguana. Of Higuey, see 
Cotabanama. Of Marion, see 
Guacanagari. Of Vega Real, or 
Royal Plain, see Guarionex. Of 
Veragua, see Quibian. Of Xaragua, 
sec Behechio. 

Cacique, female, married to Miguel 
Diaz, 204, 224. 

of Jamaica visits Columbus, 

175- 
Cadiz, Columbus sails from, 126, 279; 

returns to, 209, 268. 
Cado, Firmin, 147, 151. 



INDEX. 



397 



Cahay, province of, 253, 254. 

Calatrava, order of, 259. 

Calicut, 277. 

Cambalu, mentioned by Marco Polo. 

14. 

Canary Islands, rediscovery of, 7 ; 
optical delusion of inhabitants of, 
II ; Columbus touches at, 57, 127. 

Cannibals, 12S. 

-Canoes of the natives. 76, 166. 

Caonabo, cacique of Cibao. 94, 134, 

138, 161, 163. )S2, 183, T84, 187. 

188 ; captured by Ojeda, l8g ; his 

brother heads the allied caciques, 

191 ; death of, 208. 
Cqpe Cruz, 168, 175. 
Cuba, name j^iven by Columbus, 

82. 

de la Vela, 251. 

de Verde, 9, 13, 23, 121, 124, 

216, 218. 

Francois, 156. 



Gracias a Dios. 285. 

— Honduras, 285. 

Maysi, 165. 

Nombre de Dios, 28S. 

Non, 108. 

of Cood Hope, 178, 277. 

of Palms, name given by Co- 
lumbus to a headland in Cuba, 79. 

St. Augustine, 271. 

St. Vincent, 5. 17. 

Tiburon. 176, 226, 325. 



Carib. 92. lOO, 128, 145, 182, 189. 
Carribbean Islands, 100, loi, 128, 

130. 175. 207, 216, 251, 279. 

Sea, 128. 

Carvajal. Alonzo Sanchez de, 164, 

239, 240, 242 ; Columbus appoints 

him his agent in Hispaniola. 274. 

2S2. 
Castile, Isabella, queen of, 28 ; crown 

of, 120, see Spain, and Isabella ; 

riiili]) and Jiiana, king ami queen \ 

of, 345- 

Catalina, Indian captive, 140, 141 ; I 
female cacique married to Miguel 
Diaz. 205. 

Cathay, mention of, ib. 17, 49, 80, 
165. 

Cat Island, name given to San Sal- 
vador liy the I*",nglish, 75. 

Cavern near Cape I'Vaneois, whence 



the natives supposed the sun and 
moon to have emerged. 156. 

Cazadilla, Bishop of Ceuta, opposes 
the plans of Columbus, 22; suggests 
a scheme to defraud Columbus of 
the honor of his enterprise. 23. 

Centaurs — the inhabitants of Hispa- 
niola at first sup])ose the rider and 
horse to be one animal, 150. 

Character of Columbus, 9, 18, 58, 
116, 34S ; of Martin Alonzo Pinzon, 
see Pinzon. 

Characteristics of the natives, 150. 

Chersonesus, Aura, 172, 293. 309. 

Christian faith. Columbus anxious to 
proi)agate. 49. 50. 

Christoval, St.. Fort, 224. 

Cibao. mentioned by (iuacanagari as 
a gold region. 94 ; cacique of. 134 ; 
mountains of, 145, 14S, 151, 184, 
205, 20S. 

Ciguare, kingdom of, 2S6, 288. 

Ciguay, mountains of, 100, loi, 235. 

Cintra, rock of, Columbus arrives at, 
loO. 

Cipango, supposed island of, 16, 56, 

76, 94- 

Coast of Contradictions, 292. 

Coasting of Hispaniola. 83. 

Coat-of-Arms of Columbus, 117. 

Colombo, with whom Columbus made 
his first voyages. 3, 4, 5. 

Colombo. Juan Antonio, 239. 

Coi.UMHUS. birth, parentage, educa- 
tion, and early life of, i ; sails with 
Colombo. 3, 4, 5 ; engaged in a 
desperate battle. 5 ; provi<lential 
escape. 6 ; first arrival in Portugal, 
6 ; his residence in Lisbon. 9 ; de- 
scription of his person, 9 ; his 
temper and disposition. lO ; his 
piety, 10, iS ; his marriage, 10 ; in- 
forniatitJU derived from his mother- 
in-law, 10 ; naturalized in Portugal, 
10 ; sails to Guinea, 10 ; makes 
maps and charts, 1 1 ; conceives 
the idea of crossing the Atl.intic, 
12; grounds of his belief in ex- 
istence of undiscovered lands in 
the West, 13 ; his correspondence 
with Toscantlli, 13 ; his geogr.iph- 
ical and astronomical knowletlge. 
13; information from Marei) Polo, 



398 



INDEX. 



14 ; encouraged by Toscanelli to 
seek India by a western route, 14 ; 
Marco Polo's work a key to many 
of the ideas of Columbus, 16 ; con- 
jectural map by which Columbus 
goverued himself in his first voyage, 
16 ; his enterprise aided by two 
happy errors, 17, 18 ; his deep re- 
ligious sentiment, and enthusiastic 
nature of his conceptions, 18, 50 ; 
voyage to Thule, ig ; presents his 
views to King John of Portugal, 

22 ; subject referred to a junto of 
learned men, 22 ; they reject the 
project, 22 ; subject referred to a 
council, who also rejected it, 23 ; 
scheme of Cazadilla to defraud 
Columbus, 23 ; his indignation, and 
refusal to negotiate again with 
King John, 23 ; death of his wife, 

23 ; departure from Portugal in a 
secret manner, on account of being 
in debt, 24 ; a year of his life in- 
volved in uncertainty, 24 ; propo- 
sition to Genoa, 24 ; rejected, 24 ; 
Venice, 24 ; piety to his father, 24 ; 
sends his brother Bartholomew 
to England, 24 ; goes to Spain in 
great poverty, 25 ; first trace of 
him in Spain, 25 ; manuscript 
documents of a lawsuit between 
his son Diego and the crown, 25 ; 
deposition of Fernandez, physician 
of Palos, 25 ; conversation with 
Friar Juan Perez, 25 ; with other 
inhabitants of Palos, 26 ; his views 
approved, 26 ; concurrence of Mar- 
tin Alonzo Pinzon, 26 ; his offer of 
assistance, 26 ; letter of Juan Perez 
to queen's confessor, 26; Columbus 
leaves his son Diego at the convent, 
and departs for the court, 27 ; finds 
it impossible to obtain a hearing, 
30 ; treated as a dreamer and mad- 
man, 31 ; supjiorts himself by 
making maps and charts, 31, 39 ; 
becomes attached to Dona Beatrix 
Enriquez, mother of his son Fer- 
nando. 31 ; his theory gains pros- 
elytes, 31 ; Quintanilla, comptrol- 
ler of the finances, tlie Geraldinis, 
and Mendoza, countenance him, 32; 
obtains a royal audience, 32 ; his 



appearance in presence of the king, 
32 ; a council summoned at Sala- 
manca, 33 ; his appearance there, 
34 ; their objections, 34 ; some of 
the council are convinced of the 
soundness of his plans, 3S ; his at- 
tendance upon the court, 39 ; en- 
gaged in some of the severest cam- 
paigns, 39 ; his personal prowess, 
39 ; present at the surrender of 
Malaga and Baza, and beholds El 
Zagal surrender his crown, 39 ; in- 
dignation at threat of Soldan of 
Egypt, 39 ; devotes profits of his 
discoveries to a crusade for res- 
cue of Holy Sepulchre, 39; presses 
for a final reply from the sov- 
ereigns, 40 ; council condemns 
the scheme, and Columbus quits 
the court, filled with disappoint- 
ment and indignation, 40 ; re- 
ceives favorable letters from kings 
of England and France, 41 ; king 
of Portugal invites him to return 
to that court, 41 ; but he is at- 
tached to Spain, 41 ; applies to 
dukes of Medina Sidonia and Me- 
dina Cell, but is disappointed, 41 ; 
the latter writes to the queen in 
favor of Columbus, 42 ; who re- 
turns to La Rabida, 42 ; through 
the influence of Juan Perez he is 
sent for by the queen, 42 ; arrives 
in time to witness the surrender of 
Granada, 44 ; remarks of an ele- 
gant Spanish writer on the occa- 
sion, 44 ; the Spanish monarchs 
now comply with his requests, 45 ; 
difficulties still in the way, 45 ; he 
demands to be appointed Admiral 
and Viceroy, and have one-tenth of 
the profits of his discoveries, 45 ; 
offers to furnish one-eighth of the 
cost, 45 ; all his proposals rejected, 
and he again retires, indignant at 
his treatment, 46 ; his friends make 
a bold effort, and prevail upon the 
queen, 46 ; who now, for the first 
time, views the subject in its real 
grandeur, 47 ; resolves to pledge 
her jewels to raise the necessary 
funds, 47 ; Columbus recalled, and 
returns to the court, ^7 ; has *i 



inde;x. 



399 



audience of the queen, ^8 ; her 
benijjnity atones for past neglect, 
48 ; articles of agreement between 
Columbus and the sovereigns, 48, 
4g ; one great object of Columbus, 
the propagation of the Christian 
faith, 49 ; anxious to recover the 
holy sepulchre from the Infidels, 
50, 117; his son Diego appointed 
page to Prince Juan, 51 ; leaves 
the court and repairs to Palos, 
eighteen years having elapsed since 
he conceived his enterprise, 51 ; 
arrives at I'alos, and received at 
the convent with open arms, 51, 
52 ; royal order for the caravels 
read in the church, 52 ; horror of 
the inhabitants, 52 ; difficulties 
encountered, 52 ; embarks, 54 ; 
inconsiderable armament, 54 ; Co- 
lumbus confesses himself, 55 ; 
gloom of inhabitants of Palos at 
the embarkation, 55 ; events of the 
first voyage — difficulties, 56, 57 ; 
cruising about the Canary Islands 
in search of another vessel, 57 ; 
three Portuguese caravels seen off 
Ferro, 57 ; hearts of crews fail on 
losing sight of land, 57, 58 ; strat- 
agem of keeping two reckonings, 
58 ; falls in with mast of a large 
vessel, 58 ; alarm of the crew. 58 ; 
variation of the needle first dis- 
covered, 58 ; high opinion enter- 
tained of Columbus as an astrono- 
mer, by his crew, 60 ; serenity of 
tlie weather, 60 ; signs of land, 61 ; 
Columbus urged to change his 
course, 61 ; but refuses, 61 ; birds 
seen, 61 ; sea covered with weeds, 
61 ; secret cabals, 66 ; Pinzon 
thinks he discovers land, and Gloria 
in c.xcclsis Deo is chanted. 66 ; dis- 
appointment, 66; eager excitement. 
66 ; course altered, 67 ; complaints 
of crew, 67 ; open rupture, 67 ; 
new indications of land, 67 ; Co- 
lumbus discovers a light. 68 ; Per- 
mejo sees land, 70 ; feelings of Co- 
lumbus, 70 : his first landing in 
the New World, 71 ; his sensa- 
tions, 72 : he takes possession in 
the name of the Castilian sover- 



eigns, and names the island San 
Salvador. 72 ; conduct of his fol- 
lowers, 72 ; astonishment of the 
natives, 73 ; Columbus particu- 
larly attracts their attention. 74 ; 
supposes himself to have landed in 
India, and calls the natives Ind- 
ians, 75 ; gold seen. 76 ; Colum- 
bus interprets the signs of the 
natives according to his own cher- 
ished wishes, 76 ; sails among the 
islands, 76 ; enchanted by their 
lovely scenery. 77 ; searches for 
Cuba, 78 ; arrives there, 78 ; his 
feelings, 78 ; sends envoys to the 
interior of Cuba, 80 ; they return, 
unsuccessful. 6i ; meet with natives 
smoking tobacco, 81 ; illusions of 
Columbus, 81 ; desertion of Martin 
Alonzo Pinzon, 82 ; discovery of 
Hayti, S3; Columbus names it 
Espafiola, or Hispaniola, 85 ; capt- 
ure of a female, who is kindly 
treated and dismissed, 85 ; inter- 
course with a young cacique, 
87 ; with Guacanagari, Cacique of 
Marion, 8g ; shipwreck, 90 ; efforts 
of Guacanagari to console Colum- 
bus, qo ; germ of a colony, g6 ; 
fort built at La Navidad, Hayti. 
g7 ; colony left there, and Colum- 
bus embarks for Spain, 98 ; Pinzon 
rejoins him, 99 ; visits and names 
the river Rio Gracia, gg: visited 
by the people of Ciguay, 100 ; 
skirmish with them at the Gulf of 
Arrows, or Samana, U)0 ; their 
afterwards friendly feelings, loi ; 
Columbus makes all sail for Spain. 
lOi ; tempests, loi, 102 ; Pinzon 
separated from Columbus, 102 ; 
lots cast, and vows of pilgrimages 
and penitences made, 102 ; repin- 
ings of the crew, 102 ; distress of 
Columbus, 102 ; writes an account 
of the voyage on parchment, and 
sealing it in a cask, throws it into 
the sea. 104 : calm, 104 ; inhospita- 
ble reception at St. Mary's Island, 
105 ; part of his crew captured, 
105 ; apology of governor, 105 ; 
departure. 106 ; tempest. 106 ; 
anchors at mouth of Tagus, 106 ; 



40O 



INDEX. 



visit to the court of Portugal, and 
cordial reception, io8 ; uneasiness 
of the king. 108 ; proposal to him 
to have Columbus assassinated, 
rejected, lOg ; Columbus visits the 
queen at Villa Franca, no; re- 
turns to Palos, no; joy of in- 
habitants, no; Columbus writes to 
the sovereigns, and departs for 
Seville, in ; reply of the sover- 
eigns, in ; their joy and astonish- 
ment, in ; honors of Columbus, 
III ; Martin Alonzo Pinzon's ar- 
rival at Palos, III ; reception of 
Columbus by the sovereigns at 
Barcelona, 113 ; coat-of-arms be- 
stowed upon him, 117 ; pension of 
thirty crowns awarded to him, 118 ; 
anecdote respecting the ^%%, 119; 
preparations for second voyage, 121, 
123 ; difficulties, 125 ; departure, 
126 ; contrast between his first and 
second departure, 126 ; enthusiasm 
of people, 127 ; his sons, 127 ; 
touches at Canary Islands, 127 ; 
discovers Dominica, 127 ; can- 
nibalism, 128 ; men missing, 128 ; 
search for them, 12S ; their return, 
130 ; encounter with Indians, 130 ; 
islands named Eleven Thousand 
Virgins, discovered, 131 ; Porto 
Rico discovered, 131 ; arrives at 
Hayti, 131 ; dismisses one of the 
Indians who accompanied him to 
Spain. 133 ; finds dead bodies on 
the shore, 133 ; arrives at La 
Navidad, 134 ; finds it in ruins, 
135 ; visits Guacanagari, 139 ; 
founds City of Isabella, 142 ; his 
sickness, 144 ; conspiracy formed 
by Diaz de Pisa, 147 ; Columbus 
arrests him, 148 ; expedition to 
Cibao, 148 ; names the Vega Real, 
150 ; builds a fortress, and calls it 
St. Thomas, 151; leaves Pedro 
Margarite in command, and returns 
to Isabella, 152 ; difficulties at St. 
Thomas, 161 ; at Isabella, 163 ; 
letter to Margarite, 164 ; forms 
junta for government of Hayti, 

164 ; cruise along coast of Cuba, 

165 ; discovers Jamaica, 165 ; 
returns to Cuba, 166 ; discovers 



Cabo de la Cruz, 168 ; Queen's 
Garden, 168; delusions. 169; 
thinks he has found the Aurea 
Chersonesus, 172; vessels worn 
out. 172 ; obliges his officers and 
crew to sign a deposition that 
Cuba was a continent, 173 ; at the 
same lime this error could have been 
dispelled by looking from the mast- 
head, 173 ; erects a cross on the 
banksof the Riodela Misa, in Cuba, 
173 ; speech of a venerable Indian, 
173 ; names the river, 175 ; sails 
for Jamaica, 175 ; visited by a ca- 
cique and family, 175 ; speech of 
the cacique, 176; arrives at Hayti, 

176 ; illness, sinks into :•. lethargy, 

177 ; vessel arrives with him at 
Isabella, 177 ; finds his brother 
Bartholomew, 178 ; relation of Bar- 
tholomew's visit to England, 178 ; 
Columbus appoints him adelan- 
tado, 180; further difficulties, ab- 
sconding of Margarite and Boyle, 
180, 181 ; difficulties with natives, 
182 ; Ojeda's exploits, 183, 189 ; 
Guacanagari visits Columbus, 185 ; 
effects of the illness of Columbus, 
185 ; his brothers, 185 ; Ojeda capt- 
ures Caonabo, 1S7 ; and brings 
him to Isabella, 189 ; arrival of 
ships from Spain, with flattering 
letter from the sovereigns, and in- 
vitation to return to Spain, igo ; 
sends his brother Diego in his stead, 
191 ; sends Indian captives to be 
sold as slaves, 191 ; recovers his 
health, 191 ; new troubles with 
Indians, 191 ; Columbus marches 
against them, 192; battle, in which 
the Indians are routed, 192 ; erects 
fortresses to keep the Indians in 
subjection, 194 ; difficulties in 
Spain, accusations against Colum- 
bus, 198 ; his influence declines, 

199 ; interference with his rights, 
199 ; Aguado appointed commis- 
sioner, 200 ; he arrives at Hayti, 

200 ; his conduct, 200 ; moderation 
of Columbus, 201 ; he prepares to 
sail for Spain, 202 ; rich gold mines 
discovered, 204 ; Columbus thinks 
this the ancient Ophir, and the 



INDEX. 



401 



mines whence Solomon procured 
his cold. 205 ; leaves his brother 
Bartholomew governor, and sails 
for Spain, 207 ; tedious voyage, 
207 ; death of Caonabo, 208 ; short 
allowance of food, 2og ; arrival at 
Cadiz. 209 ; feeble apjiearance of 
the crews, 2og ; Columbus clothes 
himself as a Franciscan monk, 210 ; 
meets the sovercijjns at Burj;os, 
210; his reception, 210; proposes 
a third voyage, 2io ; the sovereigns 
promise to comply with his requests, 
but a long delay is exjierienced, 
212 ; Isabella enters into his plans 
with spirit, but Ferdinand looks 
coldly on him, 212 ; he is re- 
lieved from his share of an eighth 
part of the cost, 212 ; allowed to 
establish an entailed estate in his 
family, 213 ; charges his successor 
to use no other title than " the Ad- 
miral," 213 ; title of adelantado con- 
firmed to his brother, 213 ; difficul- 
ties in procuring voluntary recruits, 
214; Columbus proposes to trans 
port criminals, 214 ; thwarted by 
Fonseca, 214; insulted by Ximeno. 
and strikes him. 215 ; sails on his 
third voyage, 216 ; sultry weather, 
21S ; discovers Trinidad, and the 
Orinoco, 219 ; explores the Ciulf of 
Paria, 2ig ; surprise at phenomena, 
220 ; returns to Hispaniola, 224 ; 
administration of his brother, 224 ; 
etc.; Columbus approves it, 23S ; 
Roldan's rebellion, 23^^ ; measures 
of Columbus. 23S ; disaffection of 
his men, 239 ; writes to the sover- 
eigns, 241 ; negotiations with the 
rebels, 242, 243 ; obliged to agree 
to their terms, 243. 245 ; tour to 
the fortresses, 244 ; letter from 
Fonseca, 244; further dilticulties. 
245 ; sends for his son Diego, 247 ; 
Ojeda's arrival from Spain on an 
expedition of his own, 250; Rnidan 
sent to call him to account, 251 ; 
further difficulties, 252. etc.; pun- 
ishment of the rebels, 254, 255 ; Co- 
lumbus considers the sujipression 
of this faction owing to a special 
interposition of Heaven, 255 ; sup- 



poses he sees a vision. 255 ; his 
former vow, 255 ; intrigues against 
him at court. 256 ; their success, 
258 ; Bobadilla sent out to super- 
sede him, 259; his arrival at His- 
paniola, 260 ; his treatment of 
Columbus, 260, etc.; he arrests Co- 
lumbus and i)Uts him in irons, 264 ; 
and sends him to Spain. 266 ; ar- 
rival at Cadiz, 26S ; indignation of 
people at his treatment, 269 ; writes 
to the nurse of Prince Juan, 269 ; 
indignation of Isabella, 269; sover- 
eigns send orders to have him re- 
leased, and treated with distinction, 
also send him money, and a letter 
expressing their grief, 269 ; Colum- 
bus appears at court, and is kindly 
received, 269 ; promised indemnifi- 
cation, 270 : Ferdinand's selfish 
policy, 270 ; delays. 272 ; Ovando 
sent to supersede Bobadilla, 272 ; 
Columbus allowed to send an agent 
to attend to his affairs, 274 ; ap- 
points Carvajal, 274 ; remains at 
Granada, 275 ; prepares a book, 
276 ; writes to the Pope, 278 ; sails 
on his fourth voyage, 279 ; his ad- 
vanced age, 279; accompanied by 
his brother Bartholomew and son 
I'ernando. 279 ; touches at St. Do- 
mingo. 280 ; not permitted to land, 
280 ; tempest, in which many of 
his enemies perish, 282 ; only ves- 
sel saved that containing property 
of Columbus, 282 ; Columbus 
weathers the storm, and arrives on 
the coast of Cuba. 2S4 ; visit from 
a cacique anil family, 284 ; their 
advice, 284 ; unfortunately not fol- 
lowed by Columbus, 284 ; tempests, 
285 ; illness of Columbus, 285 ; ar- 
rives at Cape Dins, 285 ; interviews 
with natives, and llieir fright at the 
writing of the .Spaniards, 2S6 ; ar- 
rives at Costa Rica and finds go d, 
2S6 ; reports of the natives mislead 
Columbus, 2S8 ; discovers Puerto 
Bello, 2S8 ; returns to Veragua, 289 ; 
tempest, 290 ; waterspout, 2()0 ; 
arrives at River Belen, 291 ; inter- 
course with natives, 291 ; apparent 
abundance of gold, 293 ; founds a 



402 



INDEX. 



settlement, 294 ; difficulties with 
the natives, 294 ; captures the ca- 
cique, 297 ; who afterwards es- 
capes, 297 ; disasters, 298 ; illness 
and delirium of Columbus, 303 ; 
sails to Jamaica, 303 ; forlorn con- 
dition, 307 ; persuades Mendez to 
go to Hispaniola in a canoe, 309 ; 
mutiny of Porras, 311 ; famine 
threatened, 314; Columbus pre- 
dicts an eclipse, which alarms the 
natives, and induces them to fur- 
nish him with provisions, 315 ; letter 
from Ovando, 318 ; trouble with 
the rebels, 319 ; captures Porras, 
321 ; vessels from St. Domingo, 
326 ; Columbus embarks for that 
city, 326 ; his reception, 327 ; his 
return to Spain, 335 ; fruitless ap- 
peals to the court, 337 ; death of Is- 
abella, 33S ; feelings of Columbus, 
340 ; his illness and death, 346, 348 ; 
his character, 34S ; obsequies of, 
376, etc. 

Columbus, Bartholomew, brother of 
Christopher, 2 ; sent by him on a 
mission to England, 24 ; meets him 
in Hayti, 17S ; notice of his visit to 
England, etc., 178 ; captured by a 
corsair, 17S ; character of, 179 ; ap- 
pointed adelantado by his brother, 
180, 185, 207 ; appointment con- 
firmed by the sovereigns, 213 ; ad- 
ministration of, 224 ; put in irons 
by Bobadilla, and sent to Spain, 
264 ; immediately released by order 
of the sovereigns, 267 ; sails with 
Columbus on his fourth voyage, 
279. 

, Diego, brother of Christo- 
pher, 2 ; Indian named after him, 
133 ; left in command at Isabella, 
148 ; president of junta at Hayti, 
1C4 ; reprehends Margarite, iSo ; 
not a military character, 185 ; sent 
to Spain, 191 ; returns, 200 ; put 
in irons by Bobadilla, 263 ; released, 
267. 

, Diego, son of Christopher, 

birth of, II ; taken with his father 
from Portugal, 24 ; lawsuit be- 
tween him and the crown, 25 ; his 
entrance into Palos with his father, 



25 ; left in charge of Friar Juan 
Perez, 27 ; appointed page to 
Prince Juan, 51 ; notice of, 127 ; 
Columbus sends for him to come 
to Hispaniola, 247. 

Columbus, Fernando, younger son of 
Christopher, 2 ; his account of his 
father's adventures, 5, 6 ; mother 
never married to Columbus, 31 ; 
becomes his father's historian, 31 ; 
notice of, 127 ; accompanies his 
father on his fourth voyage, 279, 
282. 

Conception, Santa Maria de la, name 
given to an island by Columbus, 
77 ; to a harbor in Hayti, 85 ; Fort, 
1S7, 227, 232, 233, 235, 238. 

Cony, animals like, 91. 

Conjectural map, by which Columbus 
governed himself in his first voy- 
age, 16, 56. 

Conspiracies, 64, 67, 147, 162, 227. 

Contradictions, Coast of. 291. 

Contrast between embarkation of 
Columbus on his first and second 
voyages, 126. 

Contrastes, L? Costa de los, 291. 

Conversion of the heathen, 122. 

Cordova, Spanish court at, 27, 29 ; 
Columbus remains there a year, 31. 

Coronal, Pedro Fernandez, 164, 214, 

233- 

Correo, Pedro, brother-in-law of Co- 
lumbus, II ; his information to 
Columbus, 17. 

Cortes, Bay of, 173. 

Costa de los Contrastes, La, 291. 

Costa Rica, 2S6. 

Cotabanama, cacique of Higuey, 184, 

331- 
Council at Salamanca, deliberations 

of, 33- 

Criminals proposed to be sent to His- 
paniola, 214. 

Cruise among the Bahama Islands, 
77 ; along the coast of Cuba, 78, 
165 ; Hispaniola, 83, 99 ; among 
the Antilles, 128 ; Jamaica, 165. 

Crusade for rescue of Holy Sepulchre, 
Columbus devotes his profits to, 
39, 50 ; leading object of his am- 
bition, 50, 276 ; his vow to furnish 
money and army, I17, 276, 346. 



INDEX. 



403 



Crusades, 120. 

Cruz, Cape, 168, 175, 306. 

Cuba, island of, discovered by Co- 
lumbus, 78 : description of, 78 ; 
cape so named by Columbus, 82 ; 
supposed to be the end of the Asi- 
atic continent, 119, 173, 353; no- 
tices of, 165, 306, 306. 

Cubanacan, province in interior of 
Cuba, 80. 

Cubaga, island, 223. 

Cublai Khan, 80. 

Customs of the natives, 151. 



D. 



Darien, Isthmus of, Columbus sup- 
poses a strait in vicinity of, 277. 

, Gulf of. 306. 

Deatl bodies cast upon island of 
Flores. 17. 

Death of Columbus's wife, 23 ; of 
Martin Alonzo I'inzon, 112. 

Deluge, notions of the aborigines re- 
specting, 157. 

Demarkation. ideal line of, between 
possessions of Spain and Portugal. 
in New World. 121. 

Deposition of officers and crew that 
Cuba was a continent, 172. 

Description of Columbus, g, 18, 37 ; 
of Kenlinand and Isabella, 28 ; 
of natives of New World. 74. 

Desertion of Martin Alonzo I'inzon. 
82. 

Despotic sway of the Crown. 122. 

Destitution of Spaniards. 197. 

Deza, Diego de, afterwards Arch- 
bishop of Seville, seconds the 
views of Columbus, 38 ; assists 
him, 39 ; letter of Columbus to, 

345- 
Diaz, Bartholomew, 178. 

, Miguel. 204. C05, 224. 261. 

Difficulties with natives, 100, 130, 

I S3. 
Dies, Cape Cracias a, 2S5. 

, Cape Nombre de, 28S. 

Disasters, 56. 58, 64, 82, (}0. 100, 

104. 106. 
Discontents, 64. 66, 67, 147, 162. 
Discovery, progress of, under I'riuce 



Henry of Portugal, 7 ; events in 

Portugal relative to, 20 ; of land by 

Columbus, 6S ; of Cuba, 79 ; of 

Hayti. 83. 
Dispute between Spain and Portugal. 

about the New World, 105. 108. 

109, 121. 123. 
Domingo Rubio, river, 368. 
.St., island, see Hispaniola or 

Ilayti. City of, 224. 
Dominica, discovered by Columbus, 

127. 
Dragon, Mouth of, 223, 251. 



Early life of Columbus. 2. 

lulipse foretold by Columbus, 316. 

lulresi, an Arabian geographer, de- 
scribed the Atlantic, iv. 

education of Columbus, 2. 

Egg, anecdote respecting, 1 19. 

Egypt, Soldan of, his menace to kill 
all the Christians in iiis domin- 
ions, 39 ; Columbus's feelings on 
the subject, 39, 50. 

Egyptian legend respecting island of 
Atlantis, lii. 11. 

El Retrcte, 288, 289. 

Elysium, or Indian paradise, 226. 

El Zagal. King of Cranada, yields 
his crown and possessions to the 
Spanish sovereigns, 39. 

Encounters with Indians, 100, 130, 
1S3, 192, 207, 227, 236. 297, 299, 
300. 

England, proposition of Columbus 
10, 24, 178. 

Enriquez, Dona Beatrix, mother of 
Columbus's second son, Fernando, 

31.. 348. 
Entailed estate, Columbus allowed 

to establish one in his family, 

213. 
Enthusiasm of Columbus, its effect. 
^ 18, 50. 
Errors, two happy ones, which aided 

the success of Columbus, 17. 
Escobar, Diego de, 232, 252, 318, 

319, 326, 326. 
Escobedo. kodrigo de, left third in 

command at La Navidad. 97. 137. 



404 



INDEX. 



Espanola, or Hispaniola, name given 
by Columbus to Hayti, 85. 

Esperenza, La, 246. 

Existence of undiscovered lands in 
the West, grounds of the belief in, 
by Columbus, 12. 



Fable of island of Atlantis, iii, 11. 

Felipa, Dona, wife of Columbus, 10 ; 
death of, 23. 

Female cacique, married to Miguel 
Diaz, 204, 224. 

Ferdinand, King of Arragon, de- 
scription of, 28 ; appreciates the 
character of Columbus, 32 ; assem- 
bles a council to examine his plans, 
33, 40 ; his letter to the Pope, 120 ; 
his craftiness, 123, 212 ; unfriendly 
to Columbus, 258, 270. 

Ferdinand and Isabella, their union, 
28 ; their agreement with Colum- 
bus, 48 ; patronage of his plan, 

49- 

Fernandez, Garcia, physician of Palos, 
his deposition, 25 ; his conversa- 
tion with Columbus, 26 ; goes in 
the expedition as steward, 55 ; men- 
tion of, 367. 

Fernandina, name given to an island 
by Columbus, 77. 

Ferro, island of, 57, 127. 

Fiesco, Bartholomew, 310, 311, 312, 
318, 323, 325 ; with Columbus 
when he died, 348. 

First landing in the New World, 71. 

First voyage of Columbus, 55, 56. 

Fleches, El Golfo de las, or Gulf of 
Arrows, 100, 133, 

Flores, island of, dead men of un- 
known race and features cast upon, 

17- 

Fonseca, Juan Rodriguez de, arch- 
deacon of Seville, 121 ; patriarch 
of the New World, 121 ; has the 
superintendence of Columbus's sec- 
ond voyage, 121, 123, 126; thwarts 
his exertions, 212, 214, 244, 251, 
252. 257, 278, 312. 

Fort built at La Navidad, Hayti, 97. 

Fourth voyage, 278, 279. 



Galera, Punta de, island, 219. 

Gama, Vasco de, 277. 

Ganges, Columbus supposes himself 
to be near it, 288, 293. 

Genoa, birthplace of Columbus, i ; 
propositions of Columbus to, 22, 
24 ; embarrassed by ruinous wars, 
etc., 24; Bank of St. George at, 
278, 346. 

Geographical theories of the ancients, 
II, 12, 13. 

Geraldini, Alexander, preceptor to the 
younger children of Ferdinand and 
Isabella, countenances Columbus, 
32. 

, Antonio, the Pope's nuncio, 

countenances Columbus, 32. 

Gloria in excclsis, chanted, 66. 

Gloria, Port San, 306. 

Gold, Columbus in search of, 76, 77, 
81, 87, 92, 99, 133, 137, 142, 144, 
145, 151, 165, 166, 194, 205, 210, 
289, 328. 

, adulterated, or guanin, 216. 

, large mass of, procured by Bo- 

badilla, 280. 

Golden Flower of Hayti, a name of 
Anacaona, 226, 333. 

Golden House, Caonabo, lord of, 137, 
208. 

Gold mines, see Cibao, Hayna. and 
Veragua. 

Gracias a Dios, Cape. 285. 

Granada, coalition of rival kings of, 
against Spain, 30, 39 ; final cam- 
paign against, 40 ; surrender of, 
44 ; court at, 257, 276. 

Grand Khan, see Great Khan. 

River, 182, 185. 

Soldan of Egypt, his menace to 

Spanish sovereigns, 39. 

Great Khan, territories of, described 
by Marco Polo, 14, 49 ; letters to, 
by sovereigns of Spain, 50 ; Co- 
lumbus supposes he has discovered 
his country, 80, 165, 210, 288; 306. 

Green River, 150. 

Guacanagari, cacique of Marion, sends 
to Columbus and invites him to visit 
his village, 89 ; his sorrow for Co- 
lumbus's shipwreck, 90 ; his recep- 



INDEX. 



405 



tion of Columbus. 90 ; assists in 
builtling a fort. 9O : sends to Co- 
lumbus on his return, 134 ; resists 
Caonabo, 138 ; Columbus visits him. 
139 ; visits Columbus. 140 ; disap- 
pears, 141 ; continues friendly to 
the Spaniards, 184, 1S5 ; treat- 
ment of. by the other caciques, 184 ; 
gives information of a contemplated 
attack, by allied caciques, on Isa- 
bella. 191, 192 ; his death, 197 ; his 
character, 198. 

Guadaloupe. 128. 130, 207. 208. 

Guailalquiver, valley of, 356. 

Guana{:;a. island, 284. 

Guanahani. native name of the island 
on which Columbus tirst huuled. 

75- 

Guanin, or adulterated gold, javelins 
made of, 216. 

Guarionex, cacique. 184. 1S5, 227, 
228. 235. 238. 282. 

Guatiguaiia, cacique. [-2. 185. 

Guevera, Hernando de. 253, 254, 260, 
266. 

Gulf of Paria. 219, 222. 251. 

of Venezuela, 251. 

Gutierrez, Pedro, gentleman of the 
king's bedchamber, calletl by Co- 
lumbus to see the light first discov- 
ered. 68 ; left second in command 
at La Navidad, 97, 137. 



H. 



Hawk's bells. 151. 194. 

Hayna. river, and gold mines of, 205, 
210, 224. 

Hayti, or Hispaniola. discovered by 
Columbus. 83 ; description of, 83, 
131 ; natives of. 151. etc.; Colum- 
bus thinks it the ancient Ophir, 
205 ; difficulties at, 224. 

Heat, excessive, experienced, 220. 

Heathen, conversion of. 122. 

Heaven, Turcy. Indian name for. 92. 

Henry. Prince of Portugal, progress 
of discovery under, 7 ; his charac- 
ter, 8 ; his idea of circumnavigat- 
ing Africa, 8 ; calls in the aid of 
science to dispel the errors of his 
countrymen, 8 ; establishes a naval 



college, 8 ; obtains a papal bull, in- 
vesting the crown of Portugal with 
sovereign authority over lands it 
might discover, 9 ; dies before he 
accomplishes his purpose. 9 ; his 
character, 9 ; his motto. 9. 

Henry VII., of England, extolled for 
his wistlom and muniliceuce, 25 ; 
propositions of Columbus to, 24, 
178. 

Hercules, Pillars of, 172. 

Hermoso, Port. 2S2. 

Hidalgos. 124 ; pass of, 149. 

Higuenamota. 253. 332. 

Higuey, province of, 1S4. 245. 331. 

Hispaniola, or Hayti, discovered by 
Columbus, 83 ; description of it. S3. 
131 ; natives of. 151, etc.; Colum- 
bus thinks it the ancient Ophir. 205 ; 
difticuitios at, 224. 

Holy Land, crusade for, plan of Co- 
lumbus. 39. 50, 117. 276. 346. 

Holy Sepulchre, sec Jerusalem. 

Honduras. Capo, 285. 

Horses, wonder of aborigines at see- 
ing- 139' 150; they think the 
horse and rider to be one animal, 

150. 
Huelva, town of, 363. 



Ideal line of demarkalion between 
possessions of Spain and Portugal 
in New World. 121. 

Ideas concerning islands in the ocean, 
II. 

India, Columbus proposes to seek it 
by a western route. 14 ; thinks he 
has found it, 1 19, 172. 

India house. Royal, 122. 

Indian, speech of, 173. 

Ocean, 28 5. 288. 

Indians, the name applied by Colum- 
bus to the natives of the New World, 
and since extended to all the abo- 
rigines. 75 ; encounters with. 100, 
130; extirpation of. 333. 

Indies, New World so named. 119; 
Konseca patriarch of. 121. 

Indignation of Columbus at his treat- 
ment by King John of Portugal. 23 ; 



4o6 



INDEX. 



of Isabella and people of Spain at 
treatment of Columbus by Boba- 
dilla. 26S. 
Inhabitants of New World first seen, 

71- 

Introduction, iii. 

Irons, Columbus put in, 263 ; he pre- 
serves them, 269, 

Isabella, Queen of Castile, descrip- 
tion of, 28 ; character of, 29; inter- 
ests herself in the enterprise of Co- 
lumbus, 43 ; offers to pledge her 
jewels for the funds necessary for 
the enterprise, 47 ; her confidence 
in Columbus, 212 ; begins to waver, 
258 ; her indignation at report of 
Roldan, 259 ; her indignation at 
Bobadilla's treatment of Columbus, 

268 ; her reception of him at court, 

269 ; death of, 339. 

, her name given to an island, 

by Columbus, 77 ; City of, founded 
by Columbus, 142 ; Diego Colum- 
bus left in command at, 148 ; sick- 
ness and discontents at, 162 ; diffi- 
culties with the natives, 183, 189. 

, Princess, daughter of Queen 

Isabella, death of, 338. 

Island of Atlantis, legend respecting, 
iii, II. 

Islands, discovery of, San Salvador, 
72 ; Cuba, 78 ; Hayti, 83 ; Domi- 
nica, 127 ; Guadaloupe, 128 ; Santa 
Cruz, 130 ; Eleven Thousand Vir- 
gins, 131 ; Porto Rico, 131 ; Ja- 
maica, 165 ; the Queen's Garden, 
168 ; Trinidad, 219. 

in the ocean, ideas respecting, 

II ; visited by Columbus, 72, 76. 



Jacquemel, 250. 

Jamaica, discovery of, 165 ; notice of, 
175, 306. 

Jerusalem, Holy Sepulchre at, 39 ; 
Columbus devotes the profits of his 
discoveries to a crusade to recover 
it, 39, 50 ; leading object of his 
ambition through life, 50 ; his vow 
to furnish a crusade, 117, 276, 
346- 



Jew, sent as interpreter to Indians. 
80 ; not understood by them, 81. 

John II., King of Portugal, ascends 
the throne, 20 ; sends missionaries 
in quest of Prester John, 21 ■ calls 
upon his men of science to aid nav- 
igation, 21 ; Columbus obtains au- 
dience of, 22 ; the king refers the 
subject to a junto, 22 ; and then to 
a council, who reject the scheme. 
23 ; the king then assents to a proj- 
ect to defraud Columbus, 23 ; his 
reception of Columbus on his return 
from his first voyage, 108 ; rejects 
proposals for assassination of Co- 
lumbus, 109 ; adopts plan to take 
possession of the New World, log, 
123. 

Joppa, Columbus thinks his discovery 
has led him near, 172. 

Joy at Columbus's discovery, 107, 
no, 113 ; not confined to Spain, 
119. 

Juan, Prince, son of Ferdinand and 
Isabella, 51 ; island of Cuba named 
in honor of him, 78 ; his reception 
of Columbus, 114, 117; death of, 
338. 

Juana, name given to Cuba by Colum- 
bus, 78. 

, daughter of Queen Isabella, 

338. 345- 

Junta, formed by Columbus for gov- 
ernment of Hayti, 164. 

de Descargos, claims of Colum- 
bus referred to, 344. 

Junto, propositions of Columbus to 
King John, referred to, 22. 



K. 

Khan, Grand or Great, see Great 
Khan. 



L. 



La Boca del Drago, 223, 251. 
La Costa de los Contrastes, 291. 
Lactantius, cited by the council at 

Salamanca, against the views of 

Columbus, 35. 
La Esperanza, 246. 



INDEX. 



407 



La Navidad, fortress at. 97, 133, 138, 
1S2, 189. 

Land, signs of, 61. 62 ; supposed to 
be discoveretl, 66 ; certain mani- 
festations of, 67 ; discovered by 
Columbus, 70 ; and by Bermejo, 
70. 

Landing in the New World, first, 71. 

La R.ibida, sn- Rabida. 

flares. Ovando conimander of, 272. 

Las Casas, his opinion of the judg- 
ments on enemies of Columbus, 
282 ; on the search for gold, 329, 
330. 

Leagon, Bight of, 226. 

Ledesma, I'edro, 302. 

Legend, respecting island of Atlan- 
tis, iii, 1 1. 

Leone, Antonio, his information to 
Columbus, 16. 

Lepe, sff Rodriguez. 

, Diego, of Palos, 271. 

Light discovered by Columbus, 68. 

Line of demarkation, ideal, between 
possessions of .Spain and I'ortugal, 
in New World, 121. 

Lisbon, residence of Columbus in, 
9 ; he leaves it, 24. 

Loredo, Columbus sends his brother 
to, to meet King Philip and Queen 
Juana, 345. 

Lucar (Sam de Barrameda, 216, 335. 

Lucayos. or IJahania Islands, 75. 

Luxan, juan de, 151, 164. 



M. 



Magdalena, fortress, 182. 185, 232. 
Magnetic needle, variation of, first 

discovered by Columbus, 60. 
Maguana, province of, 184. 
Malaga, Columbus at surrender of, 

39-. 

Mangi, province of, 16, 49, 80, 165, 
169, 306. 

Mangon, 169, 171. 

Manicaotex, cacique, 191, I94. 

Mantinino or .Martini<iue, island of, 
loi, 279. 

Map. conjectural, by which Columbus 
governed himself in his first voy- 
age, 15 



Maps and charts, Columbus employed 
in making, 11, 31. 

Marchena, l'"iiar Juan I'erez de, see 
I'erez. 

Marco Polo, his narrative, 14, lO ; 
the key to many of the ideas of 
Columbus, 16 

NLargarita, island, 223, 251. 

Margarite, Pedro, 152. 161, 164, 180, 
181, 1S2, 191, 19S, 199, 210. 

Marion, province of, 184. 

Marque, Diego, 128. 

.Marriage of Columbus, 10. 

Martin, Andreas, 267. 

Martinique. 279. 

Martyr, Peter, quotation from, 94. 

Mayonabex, cacique of Ciguay, loi, 
236. 

Mayorazgo, or entailed estate, Colum- 
bus allowed to establish, 213. 

Maysi, Cape, 165. 

Medical skill of aborigines, 154. 

Medina Celi, Duke of, favorable to 
Columbus, and intends to aid him, 
but changes his mind, fearing to 
awaken the jealousy of the crown, 
and writes a letter to the queen in 
favor .if the plan, 41. 

Medina del Campo, where Queen Is- 
abella ilied, 339. 

Medina Sidonia, Duke of. for a time 
entertains the plan of aitling Co- 
lumbus, but afterwards declines, 
41. 

Mendez, Diego de, 294, 296, 305, 
307, 30S, 309, 310, 311, 312, 315, 
31S, 323, 325. 326, 337. 

Mendoza, I'edro Cionzakv. de, arch- 
bishop of Toledo, and (.jrantl Cardi- 
nal of Spain, facetiously called the 
third king of Spain, 32 ; counte- 
nances Columbus. 32 ; and procures 
for him a royal audience, 32. 

Mexico, 284, 2S8. 

Miguel, Prince, death of, 33S. 

Misa, Rio de la, 175. 

Moguer, near Palos, 25, 50 ; chapel 
of Santa Clara at, Columbus vows 
to watch and pray all night in it, 
102 ; author's visit to, 350. 

Monte Christi, 133, 142. 

Moon, supposed to have issued from 
a cavern near Cape l''ran(,ois, 156. 



4o8 



INDEX. 



Moorish war, Spanish sovereigns en- 
gaged in, 30, 39, 44. 124. 

Morales, the royal treasurer, 311, 337. 

Moslems of Granada, Spanish war 
against, 39. 

Mosquito Shore, 2S6. 

Motto on coat-of-arms of Columbus, 
119. 

Mouth of the Dragon, 223. 

Moxica, Adrian de, 232, 253, 254 ; 
executed, 255. 

Mutiny threatened, 64 ; open rup- 
tures, 67, 146, 162. 



N. 



Naples, struggle of John of Anjou, 
for crown of, 4. 

Natives of New World, astonishment 
of, 72 ; description of, 74 ; cus- 
toms and characteristics of, 151, 
154, 166 ; difficulties with, 100, 
130, 182, 191, 207, 227, 236, 298, 
299, 300 ; their subjection, 196 ; 
conspiracies of, 183, 227 ; extir- 
pation of, 333. 

Naval College, established by Prince 
Henry of Portugal, 8. 

Navasa, island, 324. 

Navidad, La, fortress at, 97, 133, 
138, 182, 189. 

Navigation in its infancy when Co- 
lumbus began his career, 8. 

Needle, magnetic, variation of dis- 
covered by Columbus, 60. 

Negro slavery in New World, first 
traces of, 275. 

New Spain, 284. 

New World, Scandinavian voyagers 
had but faint glimpses of, iv ; 
Queen Isabella the patroness of 
the discovery of, 47 ; discovered, 

70 ; first landing of Columbus in, 

71 ; name given to, 119 ; Nicholas, 
St., name given by Columbus to 
a harbor in Hayti, 85. 

Nina, one of the vessels of Colum- 
bus, 55, 164, 202, 205. 
Nombre de Dios, Cape, 288. 
Non, Cape, 108. 

Northmen visited America, iii, v. 
Note to this edition, v. 



Object of this work, iv. 

Obsequies of Columbus, 376. 

Ocean, supposed islands in, 11. 

Odiel, a river near Palos, 55, 362. 

Odorigo, Doctor Nicolo, 278. 

Ojeda, Alonzo de, 125, 130, 145, 163, 
180, 182, 183, 187, 188 ; his capt- 
ure of Caonabo, 189 ; his prowess, 
150, 250 ; his expedition, 250, 251. 

Omega, Alpha and, name given by 
Columbus to eastern end of Cuba, 

83. 
Ophir, 205, 210, 353. 
Orinoco, discovery of, 2ig. 
Ornofay, 169. 
Outrage on Columbus and his crew, 

at St. Mary's Island, 105. 
Ovando, Nicolas de. 272, 274, 275, 

280, 309, 318, 319, 325, 327, 328, 

330, 331. 335. 337- 

Oviedo, remarks of, respecting Co- 
lumbus, 31. 

Ozema, 204, 224. 



Palms, Cape of, name given by Co- 
lumbus to a headland in Cuba, 79. 

Palos, arrival of Columbus at, 25 ; 
conversations with sundry residents 
of the place, 26 ; port of his em- 
barkation, 50 ; town obliged to 
furnish the crown with two armed 
caravels one year, 50 ; return to, 
no ; author's visit to, 355. 

Papal bull, investing crown of Por- 
tugal with sovereign authority 
over all lands it might discover, 
9 ; dividing the New World be- 
tween Spain and Portugal, 121. 

Paradise, Indian, 226. 

Parentage of Columbus, i. 

Paria, 128, 251 ; gulf of, 219, 222 ; 
promontory, 219, 251. 

Pass of the Hidalgos, 149. 

Pavia, University of, Columbus at, 2. 

Perez, Alonzo, discovers Trinidad, 
219. 

, Friar Juan de Marchena, his 

conversation with Columbus, 25 ; 



INDEX. 



409 



lays his plans before liis friends, 
26 ; gives Coliiniiius a letter to the 
tiueen's confessor, 26 ; lakes cluirge 
of Columbus's son, 27 ; again ex- 
erts himself, has an audience of 
the queen, and is successful, 42 ; 
mention of, 367. 

Philip, husband of Juana, the daugh- 
ter of Isabella. 338, 345. 

Philipina. Hay of, 173. 

Piety of Columbus, 10, 24, 350. 

Pillars of Hercules, 172. 

Pineapple, first met with, 128. 

Pinelo, Francisco, treasurer for sec- 
ond voyage of Columbus, 121. 

Pinla, caravel which accompanied 
Columbus on his first voyage, 54, 
56, 68, 70, 82, 96, gg, 102, iii. 

Pinzon, Don Juan Fernandez, 356, 
etc. 

, Don Luis Fernandez, 359, 360. 

family, 355, etc. 

, Martin Alonzo apjiroves the 

plans of Columbus, offers to en- 
gage in them, 2C ; furiiishes Co- 
knnl)us money f(3r his journey to 
the court, 27 ; engages personally 
in the expedition, 52 ; commands 
one of the caravels, 54 ; lands in 
New World with Columbus, 72 ; 
deserts him. 82 ; rejoins him, gg ; 
carries off natives, who are restored 
by Columbus, 100 ; separation in 
tempest, 102 ; his arrival at Palos, 
III ; his chagrin and death, 112 ; 
his character, 112, 36S. 

, Vicente Yanez, engages in the 

expedition of Columbus, 52 ; com- 
mands one of the caravels, 55 ; 
lands in New World with Colum- 
bus. 72 ; his subsequent iliscov- 
eries, 271. 

Pisa, Hernal Diaz de, 147. 14S. 

Plato, legenil respecting Atlantis, 
narrated by, iii. II. 

Pliny, his opinion of the ocean, 14. 

Point Bias, 30O. 

Pope, submission to, 120. 

Porras, Diego, 311, 314. 31 8. 

, F'rancisco, 311, 312, 313, 318, 

319, 320, 322, 327, 337. 

Porto kico, 128, 131. 

Port San Gloria, 306. 



Portugal, first arrival of Columbus 
in, 6,g; exertions of Prince Henry, 
7, S, g ; fame of Portuguese discov- 
eries, 9 ; events in, relative to dis- 
covery, 19, 20; cause of discovery 
languishes under Alphonso. 20 ; 
propositions of C<jluml)us to King 
John, 22, sec John H. 

Poverty of Columbus, 25, 42, 336, 

33f>. 365- 

Prester John, tales told of. 21 ; mis- 
sions in quest of, 21. 171. 

Progress of discovery under Prince 
Henry of Portugal, 7. 

Pundonor, iSl. 

Puerto Bello. 280, 305. 

Punta de Galera island, 219. 



Queen's Garden, name given by Co- 
lumbus to archipelago in Caribbean 
Sea, 168, 306. 

Quibian, cacique of Veragua, 291, 
294, 296, 2i)7, 2g8. 

Quintanilla, Alonzo de. comptroller 
of the finances of Castile, advo- 
cates the theory of Columbus and 
receives him into his house. 32 ; 
assists him, 39 ; appeals to the 
queen in his behalf, and is success- 
ful, 46- 



R. 



Rabida, convent of, Columbus's ar- 
rival at, 25 ; guardian of the con- 
vent enters warmly into his views. 
25 ; Columbus returns to, disap- 
pointed, 42 ; author's visit to. 316. 

Rastello. in Portugal. Columbus an- 
chors opposite to. I'J<) ; character 
of inhabitants of. io(>. 

Reception of Columbus by John. 
King of Portugal. 22, 108 ; at Con- 
vent of Palos, 25. 42. 52 ; at Palos. 
52. no; at Spanish court. 31. 
44. 47. III. 113: at council of 
Salamanca, 33 ; by the natives of 
the New World. 72 ; by Portu- 
guese governor of St. Mary's 



410 



INDEX. 



island, T05 ; by inhabitants of 
Portugal, 106. 

Red Sea, 172. 

Reeds, River of, 150. 

Reguelme, Pedro, 240, 246, 254, 255, 
260, 266. 

Religious notions of the natives, 154, 
etc. 

Repartimientos claimed by Roldan, 
246. 

Residence of Columbus in Lisbon, g. 

Retrete, El, or the Cabinet, 288, 289. 

Return voyage of Columbus (first), 
99 ; second, 173 ; third, 263 ; 
fourth, 336. 

Rich coast, 286. 

Rio del Oro, 133. 

Rio de la Misa, 175. 

Rio Verde, 150. 

Rodriguez, Sebastian, a pilot of 
Lepe, sent by the friends of Co- 
lumbus at La Rabida, to the queen, 
and acquits himself successfully, 
42. 

Roldan, Francisco, 230. etc., 238, 
239, 241. 243, 244, 245, 240, 250, 
266 ; perishes in a tempest, 282. 

Royal India house, 122. 

Plain, 150 

Rubio, Domingo, river at Palos, 368. 

Rumors of undiscovered countries, 
12. 



St. Augustine, cited by the council 
at Salamanca, against the theory 
of Columbus, 35. 

. Cape, 271. 

St. Christoval, Fort, 224. 

St. Domingo, island, see Hayti or 
Hispaniola, and Ozema ; city of, 
224. 

St. George, church of. at Palos, 52, 
no; author's visit to, 371; Bank 
of, at Genoa, 27S, 346. 

St. Mary of the True Peace, town of, 
332. 

St. Nicholas, name giVen by Colum- 
bus to a harbor at Hayti, 85. 

St. Thomas, name given by Colum- 
bus to what is supposed to be the 



Bay of Acul, 89 ; to a fortress in 
Cibao, 151, 152, 161, 164, 180, 
182, 183. 

Salamanca, Columbus before the 
council at, 33. 

Salcedo, Diego de, 326. 

Saltes, bar of, island whence Colum- 
bus set sail on his first voyage, 55, 
362. 

Salve regina, or vesper hymn, sung, 
68, 350. 

Samana, Gulf of, 100, 235. 

Sanchez, Juan, 297, 322. 

, Rodriguez, of Segovia, called 

by Columbus to witness the light 
he discovered, 68. 

San Gloria, Port, 306. 

San Lucar de Barrameda, 216, 335. 

San Miguel, 176. 

San Salvador, name given by Colum- 
bus to the island on which he first 
landed, ']^ ; also to a river in Cuba, 
78. 

Santa Clara, church of, at Moguer, 
Columbus vows to watch and pray 
all night in, 102 ; author's visit to, 
372. 

Santa Cruz, 130; name of a new 
caravel built by Columbus, 205. 

Santa Fe, 42. 

Santa, La Isla, 219. 

Santa Maria, name of Columbus's 
ship, 54. 

Santa Maria de la Verdadera Paz, 
332. 

Santiago, 192. 

Saona. channel of, 172. 

Saragossa, in Arragon, royal palace 
at, 49. 

Scandinavian voyagers to America, 
iii, V ; knowledge of, lost to man- 
kind, iv. 

Second voyage, 121, 126. 

Segovia, Columbus at, 342. 

Seneca, his opinion of the ocean , 
14. 

Sepulchre, Holy, see Jerusalem. 

Seville, 38, 40, ill, 121, 122, 124. 

Shipwrecks, 90, 202. 

Sickness at settlements, 162. 

Skirmishes with Lidians, loo, 130, 
182, 192, 207, 227, 236, 297, 299, 
300. 



INDEX. 



411 



Slaves, 145, igi, 200. 258, 275. 
Slavery, negro, first traces of. in 

New World, 275. 
Soldan of Kgypt, sec ICgypt. 
Solomon, King, mines whence he 

procured gold. 205. 
Soria, Juan de. comptroller for second 

voyage of Columbus, 121, 124, 

125. 
Southern Ocean, 2S4. 
Spain, Columbus arrives in, 25. 
Strabo, his opinion of llie ocean, 14. 
Sultry weather, 220. 
Sun, supposed to have issued from a 

cavern near Cape Francois, 156. 
Superstition of Columbus, 222. 



Tagus, Columbus arrives at mouth 
of. 107. 

Talavera, confessor to Queen Isa- 
bella, Juan Perez gives Columbus a 
letter to, 26 ; too much engaged to 
attend to him, 30, 31 ; directed by 
the king to summon a council to 
examine the views of Columbus, 

33- 

Tales and rumors about undiscovered 
countries, 12. 

Tc Dcum liiiidamtis. chanted on ac- 
count of success of Columbus, ri6. 

Tempests. 79, loi, 106, 202, 2S0, 
2S5, 289, 306, 335. 

Terceira Islands, lO). 

Terra Firma, nothing known respect- 
ing it, till fifteenth century, iii. 

Third voyage, 214. 

Thomas, St., scr St. Thomas. 

Thule, visited by Columbus, v, 19. 

, Ultima, 19. 

Tiburon, Cape, 172. 226, 325. 

Tinlo, a river near Palos, 531 362, 
36S. 

Tobacco, used by the natives of the 
New World, Si ; name of the roll 
transferred to the weed, Si. 

Torres, Antonio, 190, 199. 

Toscanelli, correspondence with Co- 
lumbus, 13 ; chart or map furnished 
by him, 15, 5O. 



Trade winds, influence of, 60, 127. 
Trinidad, discovery of, 219. 
Tristan, Diego, 299, 300, 302. 
Turey, or heaven, 92, 188, 197. 



U. 



Ultima Thulc. 19. 

Undiscovered lands in the West, 

grounds of the belief of Columbus 

in existence of. 13. 
Unhealthiness of climate, 162. 
University of Salamanca, council at, 

33- 
Uricans, 202. 
Utia, animal like cony, 91. 



Valparaiso, near Lisbon, Portuguese 

court at. 108. 
Variation of the needle first dis- 
covered by Columbus, 58. 
Vega Real, or Royal Plain, 150. 
Venezuela, Gulf of, discovered, 251. 
Venice, proposition of Columbus to, 

24. 
Veragua, 286, 289, 291, 305, 309. 
Veraguas, Duke of, 378. 
Verde, Cape de, 9, 13, 23, 121. 
Vesper hymn sung. 68. 
Vespucci, Amerigo, sails with Ojc- 

da, 251 ; employed by Columbus, 

342. 
Vicenti, Martin, his information to 

Columbus, 16. 
Viceroy and Admiral, Columbus de- 
mands to be, 45 ; is appointed, 48. 
Villejo, Alon/o de. 266. 
Vinland, visited by Scandinavians, 

iii, v ; knowledge of the fact lost, 

iv. vi. 
Virgins. Eleven Thousand, islands of, 

131. 
Visionary projects of Columbus. 37, 

50, 117. 255. 
Vow of Columbus to furnish money 

for a crusade, 117, 270. 
Voyage, first, difficulties in getting 

ready. 51, 52 ; return, 99. 



412 



INDEX. 



Voyage, second, 121, 126; return, 

173- 

, third, 214, 216 ; return, 263. 

, fourth, 278, 279; return, 336. 



W. 



Waterspout, 2go. 

Watling's Island, that on which Co- 
lumbus first saw light, 75. 

Weeds, sea covered with, 62. 

Weedy sea, described by Aristotle, 
61. 

West, undiscovered lands in, grounds 
of belief of Columbus in, 13. 

West Indies, name first given to New 
World. 119. 

Whirlwinds, 202. 

Will of Columbus, 213, 346. 

Wrecks, go, 128. 



X. 



Xaragua, 158, 184, 224, 228, 234, 

238, 325, 331. 332, 333-. 

Xerif al Edresi, description of At- 
lantic, iv. 

Ximeno de Breviesca, 215. 



Yagui, river, 150. 

Yegua, river, 188, i8g. 

Ysabel, Spanish name of Isabella, 

72. 
Yucatan, 284. 



Zemes, deities of the aborigines, 154, 
188. 



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Iberoes of tbe Bations. 

EDITED BY 

EVELYN ABBOTT U.A., Fellow of Balliol Collfge, OxroRu. 



A Series of biographical studies of the Hves and work 
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Alexander the Great, and the Extension of Greek Rule and of 
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Henry of Navarre, and the Huguenots in France. By P. F. Willert, 
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William of Orange, the Founder of the Dutch Republic. 

By Ruth Putnam. 

Cicero, and the Fall of the Roman Republic. By J. L. Strachan 
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Louis XIV., and the Zenith of the French Monarchy. By Arthur 
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Sir Walter Raleigh, and the Adventurers of England. 
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Cnarles the Bold, and the Attempt to Found a Middle Kingdom. 

By R. Lodge, M.A., Fellow of Brasenose College, Oxford. 
John Calvin, the Hero of the French Protestants. By Owen M. 

Edwards, Fellow of Lincoln College, Oxford. 
Oliver Cromwell, and the Rule of the Puritans in England. 

By Charles Firth, Balliol College, Oxford. 
Marlborough, and England as a Military Power. 

By C. W. C. Oman, A.M., Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford. 
Julius Caesar, and the Organization of the Roman Empire. 

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" ROME. Arthur Oilman. 

" THE JEWS. Prof. James K. HosMER. 

" CHALDEA, Z. A. Ragozin. 

" GERMANY. S. Baring-Gould, 

" NORWAY. Hjalmar H. Boyesen. 

" SPAIN. Rev. E. E. and Susan Hale. 

" HUNGARY. Prof. A. VAmb^ry. 

" CARTHAGE. Prof. Alfred J. Church. 

" THE SARACENS. Arthur Oilman. 

" THE MOORS IN SPAIN. Stanley Lane-Poole. 

•• THE NORMANS. Sarah Orne Jewett. 

" PERSIA. S. G. W. Benjamin. 

" ANCIENT EGYPT. Prof. Geo. Rawlinson. 

" ALEXANDER'S EMPIRE. Prof. J. P. Mahaffy. 

" ASSYRIA. Z. A. Ragozin. 

" THE GOTHS. Henry Bradley. 

" IRELAND. Hon. Emily Lawless. 

" TURKEY. Stanley Lane-Poole. 

" MEDIA, BABYLON, AND PERSIA. Z. A. Ragozin. 

" MEDIAEVAL FRANCE. Prof. Gustav Masson. 

" HOLLAND. Prof. J. Thorold Rogers. 

" MEXICO. Susan Hale. 

" PHCENICIA. Prof. Geo. Rawlinson. 

" THE HANSA TOWNS. Helen Zimmern. 

" EARLY BRITAIN. Prof. Alfred J. Church. 

" THE BARBARY CORSAIRS. Stanley Lane-Poole. 

" RUSSIA. W. R. MoRFiLL. 

" THE JEWS UNDER ROME. W. D. Morrison. 

" SCOTLAND. John Mackintosh. 

" SWITZERLAND. R. Stead and Mrs. Arnold Hug. 

" PORTUGAL. H. Morse-Stephens. 

" THE BYZANTINE EMPIRE. C. W. C. Oman. 



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CILY. E. A. Freeman. 
.CDIC INDIA. Z. A. Ragozin. 
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